"Are u goofy" - Iman Shumpert claps back at Suns announcer for refusing to acknowledge LeBron James starting superteaming trend
Iman Shumpert hit back at Suns announcer and former Sixth Man of the Year Eddie A Johnson after he refused to accept LeBron James was the player to start the superteam trend. Shumpert made those claims about LeBron while appearing on Shaquille O'Neal's show, "The Big Podcast with Shaq," which premiered Tuesday.
The duo were teammates at the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Shumpert was on the 2016 title-winning team.
"Has Steph [Curry] ruined the game? Because I also was asked this and I said, 'the person who ruined all of this was [LeBron James],'" Shumpert said.
He added:
"LeBron made it okay for people to team up."
Johnson criticized Shumpert on X, quote-tweeting his viral take on Wednesday, saying the former Cavaliers guard had no loyalty. He called out his subpar production, suggesting Shumpert only has a title win because of LeBron James.
"No loyalty also is ripping the very guy that gave a spotlight to your career by carrying you and that 3.3 points a game during the title run in 2015-16 ! People forget don’t they. Podcast heaven"
Iman Shumpert responded to Eddie A Johnson's rant on Thursday, saying:
"I didn’t realize u was a real account. If you are u goofy for not being able to admit he started the trend. He did and u weird for looking f up stats like it got somn to do wit what I said"
Shumpert believes LeBron James quitting Cleveland and joining Miami started the superteam trend. He was the first player to pinpoint a destination he wanted to be at. That's where player empowerment took a turn. Meanwhile, some think superteams were formed before LeBron's 2010 move to Miami.
The most commonly cited team was the Boston Celtics in 2007, when they added All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the team with Paul Pierce.
It's worth noting that Eddie A Johnson didn't argue Iman Shumpert's claim, but he was opposed to the former Cavaliers player's lack of "loyalty."
Influenced by LeBron James or not, the superteam trend in the NBA has only grown over the years
There's no denying that there have been several superteams over the years, but in the case of LeBron James, he was arguably the first superstar in the NBA to ensure he had control over his future in the summer of 2010. Yes, he was a free agent, but James ensured he ended up on a team with multiple co-stars, who were also almost in their primes.
Whether that influenced others or not, superteam trends have been on the rise ever since. The next big move was also seen with another LeBron team when the Cavaliers traded for All-Star Kevin Love in 2014. That formed another superteam with LeBron, Love and Kyrie Irving, who was already on the roster.
The next big move was Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016, entirely changing the league's landscape. Durant, who was two years out from winning his first and only MVP in 2014, joined a 73-9 Warriors team in 2016.
Since then, the Brooklyn Nets 2020-21, LA Lakers 2021-22, LA Clippers 2023-24, Phoenix Suns 2023-24 and 2024-25, and the Philadelphia 76ers have been the other superteams in the NBA.