WACO, Texas — Before Jared Butler was winning a national championship for Baylor University or playing for the Utah Jazz in the NBA, he was just a talented basketball player trying to figure out hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
HCM is a lifelong heart condition where the heart muscle wall thickens, stiffens and makes it harder for the heart to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body.
Butler was diagnosed at age 17 when he was getting ready to play college basketball.
"I had just gotten to college, doing a pre-activity physical, I found I had this heart condition that just came out of left field," he said.
His mother, Juanea Butler, says she later found out that she carries a gene that was passed down to her son. HCM is the most common inherited heart disease and due to genetics, it can run in families.
"What gene?," she asked. "What are you talking about, I have a gene and I don't have any manifestation of it, which is really, really odd which is why I think it's so awareness that people bring awareness, we bring awareness to HCM so people can become more knowledgeable and informed about what it is.”
HCM is often misdiagnosed or can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other conditions. These symptoms can include shortness of breath, tiredness, chest pains, rapid heartbeat and dizziness.
Butler didn't let the condition stop him from playing. He went on to win a national championship at Baylor, be named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player and be drafted 40th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.
He says one person who was constantly on top of the condition was Baylor head basketball coach Scott Drew.
"He knew about the condition than I did when I found out, super supportive and understood everything that was going on," Butler said.
Butler says his condition was a popular discussion among NBA teams that delve into the lives of prospects before the draft.
“Each team did their due diligence as far as researching my condition and whether or not I can play, and the NBA came to the decision that I can play and that I’m fully able to be able to play and continue my career.”
Butler encourages anyone who may think they have HCM to educate themselves. You can find out more about the condition here.