Iman Shumpert Admits He Was “Forced to Hate” LeBron James Because of Carmelo Anthony

LeBron James and Iman Shumpert played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers for four seasons from 2015 to 2018, and Shumpert was a key three-and-D player who helped the King secure his third championship in 2016. But according to him, it took a minute for him to warm up to James.

This was mostly because Shumpert spent his first three and a half seasons in the NBA with the New York Knicks, where he was mentored by Carmelo Anthony. There, he became loyal to Melo while trying to survive in the league, which forced him to dislike many players who opposed him, including LeBron, even though he recognized their friendship.

Shumpert became so close to Anthony that he admitted to hating James, which seems like a wild revelation considering the success they tasted together in Cleveland.

“I was forced to hate him,” Shumpert admitted on Club Shay Shay. “I’ve just been trained to be Melo’s homie. Like, you and Melo homies. But I’m not supposed to be your homie.”

James and Anthony had a friendship that started when they were in high school. But Shumpert didn’t want to have that kind of relationship with his counterparts. He felt as though Melo would view him differently if he treated James like a friend.

“If I was out and about one day in the summer my second year, and I’m just out hanging with ‘Bron, Melo would be looking at that like,” Shumpert said as he winced and cocked his head to the side. “What’s up with you?”

This shows the level of loyalty and bond Shumpert had with Carmelo. He knew his teammate so well that he was willing to alter how he interacted with others to keep him happy. He also came from an era where loyalty mattered more than it does today.

However, once Shumpert was traded to Cleveland, he had to get used to being LeBron’s teammate. And once he got to play with him, Shumpert quickly realized that it was going to be super fun. 

“I had this loyalty to Melo to where I had to get used to me and ‘Bron being teammates. But, once you’re out there on the court with him, and he’s making it easy for you, you just be like, ‘Melo, he ain’t so bad bro,’” Shumpert joked.

While with the Cavs, Shumpert averaged just 6.5 points per game. But he was a strong role player who could knock down threes off the bench and played excellent perimeter defense. His best moment came in the 2015 playoffs, when he scored 22 points and nailed four threes against the Chicago Bulls. He then continued to be a major factor throughout that series win.

At the end of the day, if you asked any NBA player, they’d probably say playing with LeBron is far more fun than playing against him. But when you’re forced to face him, sometimes players like Shumpert have to paint him as an evil villain they despise. He’s simply too good. If you don’t bring your very best, both physically and mentally, James will feast on his opponent.