Butler in 2009. (Wikipedia Commons. Author: Blake_Griffin_scrimmage_Camp_Pendleton.JPG: Sgt. Vitaliy Rusavskiy derivative work: Ytoyoda (talk))
Former NBA star Rasual Butler and his wife have died after crashing their car early Wednesday morning in Studio City, California.
The 38-year-old former Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers small forward and wife Leah LaBelle, 31, were driving — reportedly at a very high speed — in their Range Rover when they lost control, struck a meter in a strip mall parking lot and crashed into a wall, causing their car to flip. Police said the accident in Ventura Boulevard occurred at around 2:25 am on Wednesday.
Butler also played for the Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. He retired with the San Antonio Spurs in 2016 after 13 seasons in the NBA.
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This past year, he played in Ice Cube’s BIG3 League.
LaBelle was an R&B artist who came in 12th on “American Idol” in 2003. She signed with Epic Records in 2011 and released two singles.
It is unknown exactly how long the couple had been married. LaBelle posted this sweet message to Butler on Instagram in March 2017:
The Heat posted this photo on Twitter to express their condolences:
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