Mario Butler - International Play

International Play

Mario Butler also saw action in professional leagues of other countries besides Panama and Puerto Rico. He played as a professional in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the United States (though not in the NBA) and Venezuela.

Butler saw action for the Panamanian national team in other important tournaments apart from the Pan American games. These included the Central American and Caribbean Games, the Pre-Olympics and others. It was because of this international exposure that he, at 6 feet and 8 inches (80 inches) tall, became known by many basketball fans as one of the most dominant centers in the Spanish-speaking countries during his era as a basketball player.

One incident that 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 Butler and his teammates. Others began tossing bottles and other items from the fan stands. Butler and his coach, fellow Puerto Rican Julio Toro, had to push some fans away in order to make it out of the arena, and they were formally accused by some fans of hitting them, but the Mexican police never charged them.