Iman Shumpert caused a lot of headlines recently when he said that his former teammate LeBron James ‘ruined basketball’ by teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Some fans tried to show Shumpert instances of superteams before LeBron made his own but Shump was not ready to hear any of it and gave a detailed response.
Responding to a fan on Twitter who shared some prolific superteams of the past, Iman Shumpert said that LeBron James’ situation was different because he was the best player in the league making his own team, rather than his front office providing him with decent players. And he dared fans to come up with an example similar to LeBron’s before his big decision in 2010.
Find me the year the top player left his throne and joined someone else? Closest thing was Shaq but Bigs have to pair up and Kobe was the juice. Bron had no need and had all the influence. I can debate this all day. https://t.co/gjQKSNLBpw
— Iman. (@imanshumpert) December 21, 2021
“Find me the year the top player left his throne and joined someone else? Closest thing was Shaq but Bigs have to pair up and Kobe was the juice. Bron had no need and had all the influence. I can debate this all day.”
Shumpert clearly believes that LeBron began the tradition of players teaming up with each other. And to be fair, he does have a point. No player before LeBron made the kind of move that he did, taking control of his own destiny and making a team through his own power in free agency.
But that isn’t the full story. The only reason James left the Cavaliers was that they were not able to provide him with suitable All-Star caliber teammates who could help him bring an NBA championship to the city. And when they did, he returned and fulfilled his promise, winning an NBA championship with the Cavaliers.
Many people have disagreed with Shumpert. And while he does have a point here, he is decontextualizing LeBron’s move to Miami to a great extent. James would probably not have left if his team could have brought him the help he needed to bring them a championship.
