During Carmelo Anthony’s time with the New York Knicks, there were plenty of times where the media and fans got on his case. There were many out there who thought Melo’s inclusion on the team would lead to some big things in terms of playoff performances. In the end, this turned out not to be the case, although Anthony was still a great player with the squad. One of his teammates during that time was Iman Shumpert, who eventually went on to win a title with LeBron James.
While speaking to The Jump on ESPN this past week, Shumpert had some interesting comments about Melo and why he respects the former Knicks star so much. Simply put, Melo stands up for his teammates, even when they might not deserve it.
“Melo was one of those guys where I never felt so safe. This dude would take the blame for everything,” Shumpert said. “There were times where I said ‘why don’t you just say what happened.’ Why are you taking the bullets? If you just say something maybe they’ll play harder.”
Despite this leadership, Melo has always been attacked in the media for being a self-centered guy although based on what Iman is saying, those narratives clearly aren’t true. Now, Melo is having a career resurgence in Portland, and fans are happy to see him thriving.
