Iman Shumpert Praises LeBron James For His "Superpower" Basketball IQ

BY Erika Marie 3.1K Views
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Iman Shumpert, LeBron James
Iman Shumpert says that it's amazing how LeBron James knows absolutely everything about all players, coaches, and staff in the NBA.

Love him or hate him, LeBron James has been hailed as one of the NBA's greatest players of all time. The Akron, Ohio native is respected on and off of the court for his basketball skills, philanthropic efforts, altruistic nature, and of course, Taco Tuesday videos. His former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate, Iman Shumpert, sat down with Vlad TV to discuss what it was like ballin' in the paint with the basketball icon.

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Shumpert recalled moving form the New York Knicks to the Cavaliers and joining forces with LeBron. "It felt weird," Shumpert said of the early days. "But Bron has a very genuine characteristic. It's like, he has to share basketball knowledge. It might be his biggest superpower, his ability to get everybody on the same page. It's actually kinda scary. He can explain this game forward and backward."

The free-agent went on to call LeBron's basketball IQ "unbelievable." Shumpert said James knows the "playbook, knows where everybody's supposed to be, know the other team's coach's playbook, style of coaching, how his ball club's gonna play." He added that it's amazing that LeBron James can know intimate knowledge of every player's strengths and weaknesses around the court and how their coaches are going to move because of Bron's passion, skill, and talent of the game. "Make me feel like I didn't do my homework!" Watch Iman Shumpert praise LeBron James below and check out what else he had to say about playing alongside Carmelo Anthony.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.