Dave Butler (basketball, born 1964/1965)

For the pro basketball player who played collegiately at UNLV, see David Butler (basketball, born 1966).

Dave Butler

Butler (right) during 2014 Pac-12 Hall of Honor ceremony
Personal information
Born	1964/1965 (age 59–60)
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Career information
High school	Rolling Hills (Rolling Hills Estates, California)
College	California (1983–1987)
NBA draft	1987 / Round: 5 / Pick: 114th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Position	Forward
Number	5
Career highlights and awards
Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (1983) Cal Athletic Hall of Fame Pac-12 Hall of Honor

Dave Butler (born 1964/1965) is an American former professional basketball player. The forward played in Turkey and Japan. Butler played college basketball for the California Golden Bears of the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), twice leading them to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) after a 25-year postseason absence for the program. In his first season, he was honored as the top freshman player in the Pacific-10 Conference (renamed the Pac-12 in 2011). After his career, he was named to Cal's athletic hall of fame and the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor.

Early life

Butler played basketball at Rolling Hills High School in Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles County, California. His father and brother were alumni of Loyola Marymount University, who recruited Butler to play college basketball. However, Butler chose to play for the California Golden Bears.

College career

Butler began his Cal career being named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1983. Under first-year coach Lou Campanelli, the Bears qualified for the 1986 NIT, the school's first postseason appearance since 1960. Butler led the team that season in rebounding with 7.9 per game, and was second in scoring (11.8) behind Kevin Johnson. Earlier that season on January 25, 1986, Butler had 23 points and 10 rebounds in one of the best games in his career, as the Bears won 75–67 to snap a 52-game losing streak to the UCLA Bruins. Cal returned to the NIT in 1987, advancing to the quarterfinals. Butler finished his career at Cal with the school record for games started (113), and also left fourth in Cal history in career rebounds (814) and seventh in scoring (1,291).

Butler graduated with a Bachelor of Science in marketing and finance in 1986, and was a Rhodes Scholar candidate. He was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011, and named to the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2014.

Professional career

A 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) forward, Butler was drafted by the Boston Celtics of National Basketball Association (NBA) in the fifth round of the 1987 NBA Draft, but chose to play professionally in Turkey. In his only season there in Istanbul, he suffered a major calf injury that basically eliminated any possibility of him playing in the NBA. He played one more year in Japan.

Post-basketball career

Butler returned to Cal and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Haas School of Business in 1990. He worked with Merrill Lynch for three years before joining Dimensional Fund Advisors. As of 2007, he was living in Manhattan Beach, California.

Personal life

He has a younger brother, Greg, who played basketball with Cal's rival, Stanford, before playing professionally in the NBA.