Former Wizard Rasual Butler killed in car crash
Rasual Butler, who is survived by his daughter Raven from a previous relationship, was speeding at least twice the 35mph limit seconds before the accident, according to police. Rasual Butler and his wife, who finished in 12th place during Season 3 of American Idol, were the only casualties in the crash. We are uncertain of where the couple was coming from,
but at least 14 firefighters were pictured at the scene. The parking lot also appeared to be completely empty at the time of the incident. The only other noticeable damage besides the car seemed to be the windows of Marshalls and the wall of the parking lot. See pics in our photo gallery above, and watch a video below.
Before their shocking deaths, Rasual Butler and Leah had very successful careers. Rasual Butler was selected by the Miami Heat in the 2002 NBA Draft and was traded to the New Orleans Hornets after three seasons. He then relocated to LA where he played for Clippers but was signed to the Chicago Bulls in 2011. He retired in 2016. Leah, who is Canadian born, was signed to Epic Records and working on her debut album.
Butler, 38, and his 31-year-old wife Leah LaBelle were killed when their Range Rover flipped and crashed near Studio City in Los Angeles at about 2 am on Wednesday.
Police said Butler, who played 13 seasons in the NBA from 2002 to 2016, lost control of his car, struck three parking meters and hit a wall before flipping over twice.
He was speeding at least twice the 35mph speed limit at the time, according to authorities.
According to Los Angeles County coroner’s department, Butler lost control of his Range Rover in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The vehicle then hit a wall before rolling over. A passenger also died. She was later named as his wife, Leah LaBelle, by Butler’s former team the Miami Heat.
Butler was drafted by the Heat in 2002. While he was never a superstar, he was known as a solid and hard-working player, whose career took in eight NBA teams. His final season was in 2015-16 when he played for the San Antonio Spurs.
His former teams and team-mates paid tribute to Butler on Wednesday. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rasual Butler Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle,” read a statement from the Heat on Twitter. “Our sincere condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to the family and many friends of Rasual Butler and Leah. They will be missed.”
Just three days before his shock death, the ex-NBA journeyman had posted a sweet Instagram post praising his only child, Raven, who he had a previous relationship.
Rasual Butler
'My daughter is so (water wave emoji)! Her Aura, spirit, style, creativity, intellect, passion and understanding for her age is a beautiful thing to watch as a very proud father! She understands things about being solid many adults struggle with!' he wrote.
'I Love you with every single element of human anatomy that allows me to be here in the physical as your father, friend, partner and inspiration for everything driving me to be the ultimate best version of me.'
In a now poignant last tweet late on Tuesday just hours before he died, Butler had written: 'We are here to be Ourselves and No one else!' He then also shared a link to an Instagram photo which said 'here to create'.
Tributes have been flowing in from various NBA stars and teams ever since Butler's death was first reported by TMZ
Rasual Butler
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