Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert shared his thoughts on now-Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James being the GOAT on Saturday.
“I just put my guard down and said Bron you the best,” Shumpert said, via DraftKings. “You got it, greatest ever… It took JJ Redick’s quote for me to get to here… I was looking like, ‘Damn bro, have I been hating?'”
Iman Shumpert played for the Cavaliers from the 2014-15 to the 2017-18 seasons. Along with guard J.R. Smith, Shumpert was traded to the Cavaliers in a 2015 trade that sent guard Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 6-foot-5-inch guard averaged 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per outing during the 182 games he played for Cleveland.
“We wish Dion the best as he continues his career with the Thunder and thank him for his effort and work here with the Cavaliers,” then-Cavs general manager David Griffin said in a 2015 release. “Dion is a talented player with potential ahead of him. Trades like this are always difficult to make because there are relationships and bonds built and that was the case with Dion.
“At the same time, we’re very excited to welcome Iman and J.R. to Cleveland. With their size and versatility, we think both Iman and J.R. can help our team on both ends of the court and we look forward to them joining us.”
Shumpert was on the Cavs when Cleveland won its first NBA Championship in 2016. He earned minutes in all seven games of the series, averaging three points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists in the 18.3 minutes he played per contest, according to Basketball Reference.
Shumpert would be traded to the Sacramento Kings in a massive deal that sent guard George Hill to the Cavs in 2018. Hill would play in 37 games for Cleveland before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks later that year.