LeBron James Called Out By Iman Shumpert For Ruining Basketball

LeBron James is one of the most popular players on the planet and his basketball skills are legendary. Still, not everyone is a fan of everything he’s done for the game.

In a new interview on the Bootleg Kev podcast, Iman Shumpert explained how LeBron James’ decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010 changed the NBA landscape forever. In the eyes of Shumpert, James “ruined basketball” by joining the Heat. He made sure to offer some insight into why he feels that way.

“It wasn’t KD. It was LeBron first going to Miami. LeBron 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.”

After Bootleg Kev suggested that Kevin Durant “ruined basketball” by joining Golden State in 2016, Shumpert reminded him who did it first. Shumpert, who won a ring with LeBron and the 2016 Cavaliers, took to Twitter on Tuesday to defend his comments. 

As teammates, Shumpert and James accomplished the ultimate goal of winning a title. The two players were both members of the 2015-16 Cavs. That Cleveland squad earned one of the most iconic titles in NBA history by erasing a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors.

Today, James is obviously still active in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s trying to add another ring to his collection. Shumpert, meanwhile, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2020-21 season. He recently made headlines by winning Dancing with the Stars.