Former Cavaliers teammate Iman Shumpert addresses the reason behind LeBron James flopping during games.
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During a recent appearance on The Boot Leg Kev Podcast, Iman Shumpert divulged some details about LeBron James. The two former teammates played four seasons together in Cleveland and won the iconic 2016 NBA championship.
In the current era of the NBA, flopping during games to get to the free-throw line is a common practice amongst players. However, it was James who was the flag bearer of this tactic. The four-time Finals MVP has received heavy criticism for this act of his over the years.
Earlier this year, the league has sent a stern warning to James for flopping during a game. The superstar has been trolled heavily for his flopping antics, with people even calling him one of the best actors.
In his recent appearance on a podcast, Shumpert spoke about the flopping accusation associated with James.
Iman Shumpert reveals the reason behind LeBron James flopping.
During an appearance on The Boot Leg Kev Podcast, Shumpert addressed James being the biggest flopper in NBA history. According to the former Cavs guard, James’ strength was a disadvantage for him when it came to getting fouls.
While talking to the host of the show, the 31-year old spoke about the greatness of James and how he was the best athlete when it came to his performances, work ethic, and public image. The only thing held against the seventeen-time All-Star was his flopping.
“The worst thing we had against LeBron was like, ‘Bro, why you flopping?”‘ Shumpert said. “And literally, he started flopping cause he like, ‘Bro, I gotta get these free throws if these people getting free throws.’ He like, ‘Bro, I’m really getting hit.’ So he like, ‘Ah, I’ll sell it for you cause they can’t see it cause I’m so strong. Y’all can’t see me getting fouled.”‘
However, the league’s recent anti-foul baiting rule has made it almost impossible for players to draw fouls through unethical plays. We have seen three-time scoring champion James Harden struggle with this. There has been a visible dip in the scoring totals of games.
Though James has been accused of drawing foul, he has struggled to shoot the ball from the foul line, especially during clutch time. The Lakers superstar is a career 73.4% from the free-throw line.