Rasual Butler, a long time "journeyman" in the NBA, recently died in a car crash along with his wife and former "American Idol" contestant, Leah LaBelle.
Rasual Butler (38 years old) and Leah (31 years old) were in a black Range Rover with the former NBA swingman driving. The crash was reported to happen at around 2:00 am, near a shopping mall's parking lot in Studio City, California. The crash happened after Rasual hit a parking meter according to authorities on site. It was believed that the two were speeding around three times the limit before the crash happened, which could have meant that Rasual lost control.
The former NBA player and Leah's tragic death took many by surprise, most especially the NBA community along with Leah's fans.
Rasual, who was dubbed as a "journeyman" because of him playing 13 seasons with eight different teams, last played for the Washington Wizards. The player was drafted in 2002 by the Miami Heat, and later on played for the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans), Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Clippers.
The forward's professionalism, leadership, and three-point shooting were reasons why he was coveted by many teams. The late Rasual Butler has established many relationships with several players, young and old in the league. Several NBA players publicly mourned, taking their condolences in social media.
"I remember I called you when you got drafted on draft night and I was at a camp and I wanted to show off because I knew you and you answered the phone for a 16year old who was one of your biggest fans," wrote Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry in his Instagram account.
John Wall, who was the last star Rasual played with in his last season in 2015, also mourned for the death of a close friend. "I will always remember the time we shared together as teammates, you were the big brother," Wall wrote in his Twitter account.
Hollywood stars also mourned for Leah LaBelle and her husband. Pharrell Williams, Fantasia Taylor, JoJo, and Ice Cube took their heartfelt messages for the couple in their Instagram accounts.
