Mario Butler
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
January 15, 1957 Panama City, Panama |
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| Nationality | Panamanian | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| College | Briar Cliff (1977–1979) | ||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1979 / Round: 8 / Pick: 155th overall | ||||||||||||
| Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1980–2008 | ||||||||||||
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||
| Number | 50 | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career BSN statistics | |||||||||||||
| Points | 12,252 (15.7 ppg) | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 8,236 (10.6 rpg) | ||||||||||||
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Medals
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Mario Alberto Butler Graham (born January 15, 1957) is a Panamanian retired professional basketball player.
Butler spent most of his career playing in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) in Puerto Rico. At 6 ft 8 in, he played center and was known for his rebounding skills. He is the BSN all-time rebounding leader with 8,236 rebounds.
Butler grew up on the streets of Panama City, where he picked up the game of basketball at around the age of 9. Butler quickly became famous around his neighborhood for his abilities, and he eventually earned a scholarship to an American university and a spot on the Panama national basketball team.
He studied at Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa, where he befriended another Panamanian and future basketball legend in Puerto Rico, Rolando Frazer. Butler and Frazer, had played together with Panama's national team; away from home, however, they were also able to establish a friendship. Mario graduated in 1979 and was an integral part of Briar Cliff's famous Panama Pipeline. He played in 102 games during his career, scoring 815 points and totaling 664 rebounds, which ranked 14th and seventh all-time, respectively, at the time of his graduation. He shot 55.4 percent for his career and averaged 12.0 points per game as a senior, while leading the team with 9.4 rebounds per game. Butler played on teams which produced the best four-year record in school history (91-24), reaching the NAIA tournament all four years which were also the first four national tournaments in program history. He helped the Cliff to one Sweet 16 and one Elite 8. He was inducted into the Briar Cliff Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
In 1979, Genaro Marchand, then president of the BSN, attended the Pan American Games, held in San Juan. The Puerto Rican basketball leader was so impressed by Butler and Frazer's playing that he decided to carry out a special draft in 1980, and Butler was chosen by the Morovis Titans, while Frazer went to the Polluelos de Aibonito.
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