Iman Shumpert Weights In On Kyrie Irving's Alleged Reputation

BYAlexander Cole4.8K Views
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Iman Shumpert
Shumpert isn't buying into the criticism.

Kyrie Irving has been receiving a ton of criticism over the last few months and much of it has to do with his supposed "mood swings." Some people have been complaining about Irving and how he tends to become distant with those around him which creates some tension. These critiques have become louder over the last week now that Irving is out with a shoulder injury. Kyrie's latest teammate, Iman Shumpert, was recently interviewed about Irving and as he explains, Irving is just a regular guy.

“Everybody gets to tweet whatever they want nowadays, and now they’re talking about how Ky doesn’t want to play against Boston?” Shumpert explained to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “It’s like gee, y’all saw the man shoot it bad. His shoulder was bothering him. It just happens to be on the schedule.”

Iman Shumpert Weights In On Kyrie Irving's Alleged Reputation
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When it comes to Kyrie distancing himself from his teammates, Shumpert thinks it's more a question of him feeling alienated than anything else.

“People separate from him thinking he wants to separate — but he doesn’t want to separate,” Shumpert said. “He is actually pretty regular. If you treat him like an alien, then he’ll be an alien. If you make it up in your mind that he’s an alien and I don’t need to talk to him, then he’s not going to say anything to you. Because he feels alienated.”

We are only just a few weeks into the season so far so it will be interesting to see how this all shakes up in the long run. It seems like Kyrie's teammates like him but he continues to receive criticism from the media.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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