In this informal on‑camera conversation filmed in Florence, NBA star Jimmy Butler III meets street artist Clet Abraham, who is known for altering and tagging public street signs. Clet explains his belief that street signs function as a universal visual language that makes art accessible to everyone. Jimmy expresses excitement about trying his hand at a street‑sign piece, asking Clet to guide him. The two discuss the symbolism of a sign’s design—using a white bar and red flower motif to represent growth and finding one’s place—and plan to modify a sign together, with Jimmy offering his physical strength and Clet handling the artistic work. Throughout the dialogue, they reflect on their personal motivations: Clet’s search for a simple, global language rooted in his cultural background, and Jimmy’s desire to extend his talents beyond basketball onto the streets. The conversation ends with mutual appreciation and a light‑hearted acknowledgment of teamwork and the shared experience of creating public art.
Chapters
Okay, we can go down.
Watch your step.
Thank you so much.
Ah, what a view! We are in Florence, and I'm really, really excited because I get to meet Kled Abraham. Now, he's a street artist that tags signs and puts stickers on them and changes the signs. He is so great at his craft, and he's always doing it, and it makes him happy. Hopefully I get to change up a sign in my own way and talk to him, get to know him a little bit, and see where his mind's at.
Hello.
I begin because I understand that street signs are visual communication, universal, for everybody in the world, and something— it's a simple language for everybody. For me, art is for everybody.
The art.
Jimmy Butler III.
Jimmy Butler III. I need that for my album. I'm gonna ask him for it.
See if he'll give it to me.
He might say no, but that's okay.
I would like to put with you that one, I think. We can, this is nice because there is a white bar here. You have to imagine the white bar and the red. So it looks like the flower go inside the white bar and grow. That's a symbol of growing, find your place, find your place. Got it.
You gotta know where you are in order to grow. I'm gonna do my first street sign. Doing my street sign. Doing my street sign. Doing my street sign. Let me tell y'all something. He recruited me to do a street sign. Not everybody gets to do that.
This basketball thing is his only passion.
For so long. I'm gonna take my talents to the street. Start tagging these signs.
Can we try to do street sign together?
Oh yes, please.
For me it will be very nice. I go up on your, like a ballon de basket. And you help me, you are the strong body.
Whatever you ask me to do, I promise I'm all in. Whatever you want to do, we are going to do.
Okay, so okay, this is super.
I and Cleat are about to go do a street sign. I don't know what I'm doing, so he's gonna do all the work, and I'm gonna say that I helped, but I really didn't. You know, teamwork though.
Teamwork.
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] In the game!
There it is! There it is!
1 minute.
In you they go!
Okay, we can go down.
Watch your step. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much. Thank you. Appreciate it.
It's a big moment for Paris.
So how did you start? So that's how you got the word "art," right?
It's kind of— because I was looking for language. When you are painter, it's a language you can speak with everybody, painting flowers. It's good. And sign language, it's a language. And very simple language for everybody. And I remember some older culture of Poland who make beautiful painting for explain to people philosophy or people who don't know to read.
I was driving in and out of every street looking for signs. Every street I turned on, I was looking for signs. So I get it.
You told me that you never look at signs before.
No, never, never. I actually, I just do what the sign tells me to do.
I know it's a beautiful art, man.
Makes so much sense, the fact that it does tell you what to do. You know, they're actually making everybody pay more attention to the street signs. As you walk around, you already see this one sign. What else do we see out here in the streets? Got the city on lock. Two signs. Then we keep going. We're going down to the other end.
Oh yeah.
School of Fish. Very nice.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too, boss. Y'all take it easy, all right?
Be good.
Thank you.
Of course.
Thank you, remember.
So very much.
Thank you.
It was a great moment to know you and meet you. I'll be back. I think you're a great man.
