PHOTO: Jimmy Butler lends support to buddy Demaryius Thomas ahead of Super Bowl

Jimmy Butler took advantage of the Chicago Bulls' stop in Sacramento to swoop down to the Bay Area and catch up with friends and Super Bowl participants Demaryius Thomas and DeMarcus Ware.

This included a shot at the 33-year-old Ware's foot speed:

Butler and Thomas are especially good friends, a relationship apparently rooted in bonding over troubled childhoods. Butler's mother abandoned him at age 13, and, according to Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, he reached out to Thomas after reading an article about the Denver Broncos receiver's own challenges as a youth.

"It really shows the type of person you are when everything is against you in order to keep going in a positive way and send positive energy and light," Butler said of Thomas. "I love him for that because there was so many times where he could have given up."

The Bulls star is unsurprisingly pulling for the Broncos Sunday, and sees the stars aligned with his team in the Panthers' hometown that day, ahead of a game against the Hornets Monday.

"We'll actually be in Charlotte while the Panthers are playing," Butler said. "I think it’s a sign."