Jimmy Butler has a phobia that’s going to make the Rio Olympics very, very uncomfortable

JIMMY Butler has one phobia that’s going to make his stay with Team USA at the Rio Olympics very, very uncomfortable.

Just don’t look down, Jimmy.

CHICAGO Bulls superstar Jimmy Butler doesn’t back down to anyone on a basketball court but get the All-Star guard near water, and he apparently changes his tune.

According to Team USA teammate Draymond Green, Butler is so afraid of water that he asked for a room on the US basketball team’s luxury ship that doesn’t face the wet stuff.

“(Jimmy) don’t want to be near the water,” Draymond Green told SI.com: “He doesn’t want his room facing the water. Nothing. It’s incredible to me.”

Team USA big man DeAndre Jordan said Butler told him the same thing.

“Jimmy Butler doesn’t like water,” Jordan said. “So we were talking about, ‘Would you jump off the boat or would you get in?’ (He says) ‘No and don’t play with me about it.’ He definitely does not like the water at all.”

The highly-paid NBA stars of the US men’s basketball team opted against lodging in the Rio Olympics athletes village, preferring instead a luxury cruise ship that’s more to (most of) the players’ liking.

The Silver Cloud, which docked at the city’s port at the weekend, can accommodate up to 400 people in its 196 cabins, some of which were allotted to the US men’s and women’s Olympic basketball teams, the general directorate of the Maua port terminal said.

It’s amazing Butler is even able to sleep at night if he’s scared of water.

The US delegation reserved all the cabins for the Olympics, and the ship, with all its amenities and attractions, will become practically a floating US embassy during the Games.

Rio’s revitalised port is considered to be one of the main Olympic legacies and will attract thousands of tourists because of the gigantic screens that have been installed there for people to watch Olympic events and also other entertainment associated with the Games.

However, people who visit the port will have difficulty approaching the Silver Cloud due to the heavy security detachment deployed around the vessel.

A fence made of bulletproof material will keep the public away from the US athletes, who will be guarded by some 250 Federal Police officers.

“The Federal Police will also have two boats ... that they will use to prevent navigation near the vessel,” said Maua port terminal operations director Alexandre Gomes.

The US ship is anchored at a site far from the docking spaces reserved for the many cruise ships that will visit Rio during the Games.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Kevin Durant. “We’re in a hotel on water.”

US guard Klay Thompson, whom Durant will play alongside next season at Golden State as well as for the next two weeks, likes the balcony views.

“It’s nice. It’s like staying at a hotel,” Thompson said. “We’ve all got our own rooms. We’ve got a game room. I like the balcony. You can get out and see the water and see the scenery of Rio.”

— with AFP