La  Salle mourns the loss of great athlete and Men’s Basketball star Rasual Butler. Butler and his wife Leah LaBelle passed early morning on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Butler was a 2008 inductee into the La  Salle Hall of Athletes for his incredible achievements as an Explorer from 1998- 2002. During his four seasons he recorded 2,125 points, putting him fourth in La  Salle’s all-time record list among greats Lionel Simmons, Tom Gola and Michael Brooks. Butler was a two-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, and averaged 20.9 points per game in his senior year.

“This is a real tragedy to the La Salle community and to all who knew Rasual,” Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw said. “He was a terrific basketball player, a great teammate and a wonderful person. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of Rasual and his wife, Leah.”

Butler was drafted out of La Salle by the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft. He went on to play for 13 seasons on eight teams. Most recently, Butler was expected to play a second season in the BIG3 League. Butler was 38 years old, Leah LaBelle was 31.