Iman Shumpert was born in Berwyn, Illinois, and believes his state has produced the best basketball players. A clip of Shumpert arguing with rappers Mu Real and B Jack$ about Illinois having a better all-time team than New Jersey went viral on social media recently.
Mu Real put together a starting five of Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, J.R. Smith, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Shaquille O’Neal. The bench, meanwhile, had the likes of Dennis Rodman, Donovan Mitchell, Al Harrington, Andrew Bynum, and Mike Bibby.
As for Shumpert’s starting five, it was Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Antoine Walker, Juwan Howard, and Kevin Garnett, who went to high school in Illinois. Shumpert himself would be one of those coming off the bench, along with the likes of Isiah Thomas, Anthony Davis, and Andre Iguodala.
Shumpert claimed that he could slow down his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Irving and Smith if they had it going. He stated that those two know that as well.
Here’s what fans had to say about this Illinois-New Jersey matchup.
“Jersey nice, but Illinois killing them,” one fan thinks Illinois would easily come out on top.
“New Jersey and it’s not even close,” another believes New Jersey has the far better team.
“Jersey smacking any state by 20+ too,” a fan thinks New Jersey would blow out every other state.
“Who’s going to stop Shaq?? Lol,” one fan asked who on Illinois could slow down O’Neal.
“Illinois too good, prime D Rose without injuries??!! It’s not even close,” a fan thinks having Rose in his prime gives Illinois the edge.
Wade also chimed in, and he is unsurprisingly backing Shumpert here.
“Talk that talk, Shump,” Wade wrote.
This would be a fascinating matchup, but you’d reckon O’Neal, who won four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles in his NBA career, tips the scales in New Jersey’s favor. He is the best player on the court by some distance and has a great supporting cast around him as well.
