Media

Iman Shumpert has crystal clear message for haters who think he bad-mouthed LeBron James during controversial interview

Published by
Peter Dewey

Former NBA guard Iman Shumpert made some comments regarding Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James that have been deemed controversial.

In an interview on the Bootleg Kev podcast, Shumpert said it was James, not Kevin Durant, who “ruined” the NBA by joining the Miami Heat.

“It wasn’t K.D.,” Shumpert said. “It was Bron first going to Miami. Bron knows he ruined basketball. He thought he was making it better. Me personally, I loved the NBA for the loyalty that I thought was there. He basically knocked the fourth wall down.

“Great business move for sure. But when you think about it outside looking in, I got people tweeting me right now, they’re literally talking about owners and trade.”

While Shumpert’s comments may seem like a dig at James, the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard clarified that it was meant as a compliment on social media.

Shumpert and James played together on the Cavaliers and won an NBA title together during the 2015-16 season.

The Lakers superstar certainly changed the game of basketball by moving to different teams and pairing with other superstars, but Shumpert clearly didn’t mean any harm by commenting on those decisions.

Both James and Durant have formed superteams in their careers, but James has won titles with three different franchises in his storied NBA career.

The four-time champion is looking to win his fifth title and second with the Lakers during the 2021-22 season.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

Lakers insider starting to ‘hear some names’ regarding potential Darvin Ham replacements

The Los Angeles Lakers could move on from head coach Darvin Ham this week, according…

May 2, 2024

Draymond Green sounds off on critics blaming Darvin Ham: ‘I think that’s garbage’

The Los Angeles Lakers' 2023-24 NBA season came to an end when they lost Game…

May 1, 2024

NBA exec: LeBron James would have Tyronn Lue as his coach on Lakers if it were up to him

According to one Eastern Conference executive, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James would want Los…

May 1, 2024

Darvin Ham apparently felt like Lakers starter was ’s—ting the bed’ in 10 straight games earlier this season

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham commented on the challenge of having so many…

April 30, 2024

Nick Young says Lakers would’ve eliminated Nuggets had they picked Dennis Schroder over Gabe Vincent in offseason

Former Los Angeles Lakers player Nick Young believes that the team would have eliminated the…

April 30, 2024

Rich Paul says he’s LeBron’s biggest critic: ‘When I have an issue…I go get in front of him’

Rich Paul — a longtime agent and friend of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James…

April 29, 2024