“He Think Like a Child”: Iman Shumpert Explains What Makes Playing With LeBron James So Unique

LeBron James and Iman Shumpert played together for 4 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers and were both instrumental in the Cavs’ 2016 NBA championship. It’s no surprise that, despite their success together, it took some time and effort for the pair to get along; Shumpert, in particular, took the scenic route to bonding with LeBron.

Shumpert last played in the NBA 2020-21 season for the Brooklyn Nets, and even though he has claimed to be open to readmission, it is widely assumed that his playing career is well behind him.

And now, with the dust having settled and hindsight offering a lot more clarity, the former Cavs star has talked about his experience of sharing a court with LeBron and how different it is from anything else in the NBA.

During an appearance on the Out the Mud Podcast, Shumpert claimed that a big reason for LeBron’s success is that he still thinks like a 17-year-old kid. Shump went to Cleveland after being drafted by the Knicks in 2011. There, he played with a prolific scorer in Carmelo Anthony, and to jump from Melo to LeBron, from NYC to Cleveland, it wasn’t easy.

“In New York, you felt like they love the Knicks. In Cleveland, you knew you play with LeBron. I wish I could sugarcoat it. I can’t. It’s that simple. It’s not even a strict program because Bron, to his point, to give him credit to his point he made the other night, he is a 41 year old kid,” he began.

“You could tell LeBron got paid at 17,” he said. “It’s the reason that he that cold because he thinks like a child. Like, when you were 17, I’m sure you probably were like, it’s like before you get to college and they break you where it’s like that creative mindset where you like, but why coach? We could just do this. And it’s like the coach explain it to you and then you stop like even questioning the coach,” Shumpert explained.

Shumpert added that this kind of coaching makes players go out on the court with the mentality to handle their business and win in order to climb up the ranks, but it ends up killing their curiosity. “Bron went at 17 while he was still curious,” he added, reiterating his point.

LeBron is 41-years-old and is playing in the 23rd season of his NBA career. It would be a bit naive to boil down his high basketball IQ to one little aspect of his career. That said, Shumpert does have a point. LeBron’s mold has always been extremely adaptable.

As Shump has called it before, LeBron is like the ChatGPT of basketball. Not only does he know all of his team’s plays, but also more often than not, knows his opponents’ playbook too. Using his high basketball IQ and love for the game, Bron is not only able to elevate his own level, but also help his teammates out like never before.

He’s completely changed his style of play multiple times during his career, going from a high-flying scorer to a playmaker, among other things. His ability to adapt to any role he has been burdened with is probably the reason he’s still a great asset to have on any team.

Even with his waning powers and arguments about how he simply doesn’t belong on the court alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the 4 time NBA champion has proven he’s happy to be a role player.

It remains to be seen how much more he can push his body to, especially since it most definitely looks like this is his last stint with the Lakers. That said, if he doesn’t hang his boots (the smart money says he goes home to the Cleveland Cavaliers), it will be interesting to see if LeBron can adapt once again to push for that 5th ring.