"Bron ruined it when he left Cleveland and went to Miami and joined Dwyane Wade" - Iman Shumpert claims LeBron James, and not Kevin Durant ruined NBA by joining a super team
LeBron James is one of the four players in the NBA to win a championship with three different teams. He also has four Finals MVP trophies to his name, indicating his massive impact on the team's journey to claiming the biggest prize in basketball. The kid from Akron has teamed up with many talented players, with one of them being Iman Shumpert.
Despite having won a championship together, Shumpert believes James' move from Cleveland to the Miami Heat in 2010 was a trade that ruined basketball. Shumpert was not a part of the Cavs when James left the team in 2010. Despite that, he expressed how the four-time NBA champion's decision motivated players to form superteams.
In a recent interview with Vlad TV, the former NBA champion explained his earlier statement about King James ruining basketball. He said:
"Of course I know y'all chop it to where y'all can release it, how y'all release it. But the statement was that Kevin Durant ruined it when he it when he went to Golden State and I was saying, 'Technically no, Bron ruined it when he left Cleveland and went to Miami and joined Dwyane Wade", cause we were all like, that was the first time I had ever looked at something and like woah that's cheating"
Durant received a lot of hate for leaving Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder team for the Golden State Warriors. In 2016, OKC had just lost in the Conference finals to the Warriors. It was directly after that when KD joined forces with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
2017: Kevin Durant
25.1 ppg
4.8 ast
8.3 reb
1.1 stl
1.6 blk
Won his 1st Championship and his 1st FMVP 🏆 https://t.co/QSSNdFFMkx
LeBron James and Kevin Durant have won two championships in their respective moves to the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors. Both were able to achieve the Finals MVP trophies and cement their places as two of the greatest players of the modern era.
Although James was heavily criticised for his decision, he went back to the Cavaliers in 2014 and won them their first championship in 2016. LeBron James certainly won the hearts of the fans as other than the championship, he also took them to four NBA Finals appearances and once again brought relevance to the city.
Number Of The Day: 12
12 = # of years ago today that #BleedGreen beat #LetEmKnow 94-85 in game 6 of the second round.
This was the final game LeBron James played in Cleveland.
Less than two months later, The Decision.
"I'm taking my talents to South Beach." https://t.co/8NfnXldLAD
Is LeBron James to blame for the rise of superteams in the NBA?
LeBron James is considered to be one of the greatest players in the NBA. His resume is stacked, but despite being so successful, there is always criticism that follows him for anything he does. He has always been in the limelight, but 'The Decision' in 2010, certainly made him a villain on Sports television.
Teaming up with the likes of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh as part of the Heat was a big boost to his career. However, he upset the entire city of Cleveland that had their hopes on him to bring them out of their misery.
9 YEARS AGO, LeBron James won his first championship with the Miami Heat!
https://t.co/qyRVi1HfKW
Keeping aside all the outside noise, LeBron James continued to focus on the ultimate goal of winning a championship. The Heat were dominant during his four seasons in the franchise as he led them to the NBA Finals in all those years.
Many blame him for being the reason behind the formation of superteams, but the fact of the matter is that superteams have already existed before. Just two years before LeBron James joined the Heat, the Boston Celtics formed a superteam to win their championship in 2008.
LeBron James believes the GOAT conversation changed when the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
"At that moment, I was like I'm the greatest basketball player people have ever seen in all facets." https://t.co/23QckmrHv7
Bringing together the likes of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to team up with Paul Pierce changed things for them. The Celtics went from finishing last in the East in 2007, to winning a championship by defeating the LA Lakers in 2008.
LeBron James has definitely had a big impact on the league. His move in 2010, gave many athletes a chance to exercise their right to decide their future. But blaming him solely for the formation of superteams is certainly not right.