22 Facts About Mario Butler

Mario Alberto Butler Graham was born on January 15,1957 and is a Panamanian retired professional basketball player.

Mario Butler is the BSN all-time rebounding leader with 8,236 rebounds.

Mario Butler grew up on the streets of Panama City, where he picked up the game of basketball at around the age of 9.

Mario 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.

Mario Butler studied at Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa, where he befriended another Panamanian and future basketball legend in Puerto Rico, Rolando Frazer.

Mario Butler graduated in 1979 and was an integral part of Briar Cliff's famous Panama Pipeline.

Mario Butler 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.

Mario Butler 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.

Mario Butler played on teams which produced the best four-year record in school history, reaching the NAIA tournament all four years which were the first four national tournaments in program history.

Mario Butler helped the Cliff to one Sweet 16 and one Elite 8.

Mario Butler was inducted into the Briar Cliff Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Butler, alongside teammates Wesley Correa and Mario Sanchez, brought instant respectability to the Titans.

Mario Butler added three more championships to his resume when the Crabbers, who had begun a four championships in a row run in 1997, won the 1998,1999 and 2000 titles.

Mario Butler scored more than 12,000 points at the BSN, making him a member of the exclusive group of players to have scored 5,000 or more points in that league, and joining the even more exclusive group of players with 10,000 or more points scored.

Mario Butler averaged 17 points per game over 23 years.

Mario Butler collected more than 8,000 rebounds, for an average of almost 12 rebounds caught per game.

Mario Butler was the BSN's MVP in 1988, and the league's defensive player of the year in 1984,1985,1987,1988,1991,1993 and 1994.

Mario Butler returned to basketball, lured by Yamil Chade, in time to win his fifth BSN basketball championship, this time with the Arecibo Captains during 2005.

Mario Butler saw action in professional leagues of other countries besides Panama and Puerto Rico.

Mario Butler played as a professional in Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the United States and Venezuela.

One incident that Mario Butler publicly admitted he probably will never forget happened while he was a player for the Aguascalientes team in Mexico: after the game's referees made a call that disgusted local fans, many fans jumped onto the court to fight Mario Butler and his teammates.

Mario Butler saw action for the Panama national team in other important tournaments apart from the Pan American games.