“You know who hurt me? I f**king hated playing in Utah" - Former NBA champion sounds off on Utah Jazz's poor atmosphere
Throughout his career in the NBA, veteran wing Iman Shumpert has played in a variety of tough atmospheres. Shumpert played in the league for 10 seasons, making appearances with six different franchises. His best achievement came with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won the 2016 NBA Championship.
Shumpert was originally selected 17th in the 2011 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He is known for his outside shooting and defensive abilities. Shumpert has always been a player that teams wanted as a versatile asset in their rotation.
Speaking recently on the "Iman Amongst Men" podcast, Shumpert mentioned Utah as one of the toughest places he's ever had to play. He said that Jazz fans would always get inside his head.
"You know who hurt me? I f**king hated playing in Utah. I don't know what it is... the way they talk s**t. It's whack. But it was working, it really was working. It was disturbing my play.
"I could not thing straight. The outfits they wear to distract you. I'm like, 'This is stupid.' I'm shooting a trey and I'm mad as hell and I'm missing and I look at this guy like, 'He made me miss!'"
NBA veteran Iman Shumpert comments on struggles of playing in Utah
It's always fascinating to hear how crowds give opposing players "challenges" on the basketball court. That's just the case with veteran Iman Shumpert, who talks about just how challenging Utah Jazz fans were when he was playing.
Plenty of arenas that have drawn respect from some of the players for their difficult atmosphere. Utah continues to be one that players talk about when it comes to their passionate fans.
For Shumpert to go out of his way to talk about how challenging it was to play in Utah means something.