Iman Shumpert got to win a championship with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a hard road to get there, but Shumpert got to be a role player on one of the most historic NBA titles in the history of the entire league. Prior to Cleveland, LeBron was playing for the Miami Heat where he ended up winning two NBA titles. During his time in Miami, LeBron also ushered in the super team era, which led to Kevin Durant joining the Warriors, all while players around the league said “screw loyalty.”
While speaking about the super team era in a conversation with Bootleg Kev, Shumpert had a harsh assessment for LeBron. As he explains, LeBron ultimately ruined the game of basketball with his decision to go to Miami, as he broke the illusion of loyalty that had been embedded in basketball for years.
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“Nah, it wasn’t K.D. (Kevin Durant),” Shumpert said. “It was Bron first going to Miami. Bron knows he ruined basketball. … Me personally, I love the NBA for the loyalty that I thought was there. He basically knocked the fourth wall down. … He wasn’t supposed to do that.”
Of course, Shumpert has a lot of respect for LeBron as a player and teammate, however, he does feel like the game was tainted when LeBron left Cleveland for the first time. This is a sentiment that fans have expressed before, however, seldom do we hear it from a player. It will be interesting to see if LeBron feels the same way.