“My worst day, I’m just going to try and smile.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I think, a lot of times, the mistake in music – even rappers that are trying to be big time – if you’re broke, rap about being broke. If you’re sensitive, rap about being sensitive, ’cause there are other sensitive people. If you’re sensitive, but you talk about being a tough person that doesn’t care about anything, people will call your bluff.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m a taco guy, so I like Mexican food, and any form of a taco, I’m going to eat it. During the season, I’ll make it a grilled chicken taco. But after the season, give me a regular beef taco and fill it to capacity. I need meat, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, pico de gallo, and everything you got.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Love is one of the most powerful and most dangerous things I’ve ever encountered and, within the same breath, one of the most beautiful and relevant journeys of my life.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m a Kanye fan.”
― Iman Shumpert
“As long as my daughter likes me, I’m good.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’ve been doing music for the longest time.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I always enjoyed writing.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I used to be an angry person.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m a culture guy. I sort of know all the familiar ingredients to get something going. Once everyone starts to buy in collectively, then that culture can start being built.”
― Iman Shumpert
“It’s cool to be on a team where we don’t know who’s going to score it.”
― Iman Shumpert
“It don’t matter who scores; we just got to win.”
― Iman Shumpert
“People sometimes think that if someone plays basketball, they have to do that one thing they’re great at. But I like being able to show that you can do more than one thing and do it at a high level.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I think that for my sport, the core is the most important. I mean, really in all sports, but especially in the sport I play, I keep my core right and try and keep that up no matter what I’m doing.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I make sure I do a lot of core work in my training.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m a Type A person who doesn’t want to get stuck in any one type of workout. I need a variety of things to stay interested, and that way, you make sure you get the most out of yourself.”
― Iman Shumpert
“My job is to pay attention to the feel of the game and always add a positive energy to it on my team through the ups and downs of the game.”
― Iman Shumpert
“When I was growing up, I didn’t really have a lot of different things I could wear. As I got older, the more I could look different on an everyday basis, the better.”
― Iman Shumpert
“My brother’s been cutting my hair since I was in 7th grade.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’ve been doing music since sixth grade.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I don’t like video games.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I like Batman, I like basketball, and I like to rap.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I wanted to go the NBA and win a championship because I’ve never seen a grown man cry the way Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan cried when they won a championship.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I never said to myself, ‘Get to the NBA, be an All-Star, make a $100 million contract.’”
― Iman Shumpert
“Usually, if I do a good job in the plus/minus category, I know I’ve had a good game.”
― Iman Shumpert
“You may have to change how you guard somebody because of how they play. But the mindset stays the same – making people uncomfortable, making them do what you want them to do instead them dictating on offense.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I need music all the time – just to get my vibe where I want it.”
― Iman Shumpert
“All the time, I play with a rhythm; if I’m too far out of the rhythm, I feel out of place.”
― Iman Shumpert
“The way I have played throughout my career has been sporadic.”
― Iman Shumpert
“If the offensive player starts losing confidence, that gets the defender’s confidence up – and I think the team can feel it.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I joke about it a lot, but I be serious as a heart attack when I say it: I don’t wish that on nobody, not being able to play.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Everything was always a pretty up and down for me. It’s always been an uphill battle as far as getting respect goes.”
― Iman Shumpert
“If I bring positive energy to the court, most times, I can get that back.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I feel like I can defend three different positions: point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards who don’t want to play too much in the post.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I think I am a good help defender as well as just bringing a lot of communication to the floor.”
― Iman Shumpert
“When I was growing up, all my cousins had high-top fades. I thought it would be cool to see how long I could grow a high-top.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Some people are going to like me; some people won’t.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m going to miss shots. I’m going to make plenty of mistakes. It’s not going to be perfect.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Keep feeding yourself with positivity.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m playing basketball. It’s my dream job. So I’m a pretty happy camper.”
― Iman Shumpert
“There are certain guys that are obviously a lot more talented than myself and a lot of the other players in the league, but… once you gotta play against me, all that’s out the window.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I have respect for everybody in the league.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Ever since I was little, I wanted to win the NBA championship.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Some guys play so straight, and that may be their thing; like, a lot of guys are good playing like that. I can’t play like that. I have to flair out. I have to yell. I gotta scream. I gotta talk trash – that’s how I get myself going.”
― Iman Shumpert
“In Chicago, growing up there, that’s how we played. You play for something more than just yourself. You play to win, and that’s all that really matters.”
― Iman Shumpert
“In high school, I had gym, and with me just being so competitive, I would go too hard in gym class.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Some people read. I like to put words together.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I love fashion.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m a people person. I’m a hugger.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Back home, if you get scored on, you’re the weak link. When I started getting good, they were like, ‘If you’re going to play on our team when we go play pick-up, and you start getting scored on, we’re not going to let you play anymore.’ I started learning how to help other people out with my defense.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Off the court, I think people will like me.”
― Iman Shumpert
“If somebody scores on me, I’m going to be mad.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I was told I was going undrafted. That’s what I was told by everybody. I guess I wasn’t good enough in everybody else’s eyes.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I was called fool’s gold. That’s what I was called in the draft combine. That’s how I remember it. I took it personal.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I can’t have people always having their opinions floating my way.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I like playing in Chicago.”
― Iman Shumpert
“If an athlete plays the guitar, they say, ‘That’s so cool, he can play the guitar.’ But if a guy raps, they say, ‘Please don’t be another rapper,’ only because the rappers are so bad. I promise I’m not anything like that.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m not making music to get played in a club.”
― Iman Shumpert
“A lot of people celebrate the ’80s. I was a ’90s guy. The best music, and basketball, was at its high in the ’90s, with all of the best players, playing the best style of basketball in that era, and Michael Jordan winning six rings in the city I grew up in.”
― Iman Shumpert
“The way I rap isn’t about me boasting. Rarely will I do that.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Of course there’s going to be times when I’m going to have to step up and knock down corner 3s, but I don’t want to settle all the time.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Everybody in this league waits on an opportunity when you don’t play the starter minutes, when you don’t play the type of minutes you want. And with each given opportunity, you got to be ready to come out and perform.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’d rather somebody expect a lot out of me than nothing at all.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I can’t begin to try to articulate the competitive nature I possess.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Truth is, none of us professional athletes are ever 100 percent healthy. We just decide what we’re going to tape up and push through without making it worse.”
― Iman Shumpert
“My high threshold for pain will allow me to battle through pretty much anything if I find a way to run and slide.”
― Iman Shumpert
“My father, my first coach, would never let me punk out if I was capable of helping the team.”
― Iman Shumpert
“To me, rapping is an art.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I express myself through song when I can’t let people in on my thoughts otherwise. I need the creative process.”
― Iman Shumpert
“The NBA actually encourages balanced living. Realistically, basketball only takes up about six hours of your day before it becomes counterproductive.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Rap isn’t that time-consuming for me, compared to an ordinary artist. I do not stay in the studio all day.”
― Iman Shumpert
“As I go back and look at the film, if I look at my first year, every time I caught the ball, I was looking to do something.”
― Iman Shumpert
“It doesn’t matter what position they put me at; I’ve just got to make sure that I come out and play right.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I just want to win.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I think when I started playing against some of the best guys on the AAU circuit, I started to look at myself and say, ‘I am one of these guys.’”
― Iman Shumpert
“Everyone will say something about confidence or something if you miss a couple shots. You’ve just got to keep shooting.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’ve started most of the time I’ve been in a Knick jersey, so I just think they want me to bring a certain energy every night. They want me to bring that defensive presence because they know I can make something out of nothing on defense, and I think they just want me to bring that defensive presence every day.”
― Iman Shumpert
“As long as we win, I’m happy.”
― Iman Shumpert
“When you have a lot of communication, it picks up the aggressiveness with everybody on the court.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I don’t think I have whatever that thing is that makes some athletes bad with money.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Ray Allen’s diet was insane. He was trying to break it down to me what he ate and how disciplined he tries to stay. When you’re a 21 year-old, you’re not used to that. He was doing Paleo and experimenting with all types of things.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Having a routine makes for a better professional.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I think early on in the league, my biggest problem was I tried to put out what I believe was an innocent fire because I felt it was a conflict with other stars.”
― Iman Shumpert
“You should dress so that somebody remembers you.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I was always growing, so it made no sense for my mom and dad to load me up with a bunch of clothes. But I hated coming to school and feeling like a girl could be like, ‘Iman’s probably gon’ wear this today.’ So I would always have to mix and match and find a way to look different. I took a lot of pride in that.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I can go toe-to-toe with somebody with my shoes. But you can’t do it with LeBron, ’cause what shoe does he not have?”
― Iman Shumpert
“I always liked crop tops after I saw it on ‘Fresh Prince.’”
― Iman Shumpert
“I like art; if I could just draw pictures all day, I would, but I can’t; I’m horrible. I practiced at it, still didn’t get better – gave it up. I’m good with words, though, so I write music, poetry; sometimes I just journal in my phone.”
― Iman Shumpert
“My music, you know I’m not lying about anything, and the way you can tell is how in-depth I can get about everything I’m talking about.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I like to paint pictures with words, ’cause I can’t draw for anything.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Since I entered the league, half of my checks have always gone into a separate account… I pride myself on doing that. I’ve done it no matter the size of my contract or salary.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Because of what I’ve saved, I don’t really have a lot of worries about money.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I’m glad Phil Jackson got the rings for Chicago. You traded me away from New York, cool. It’s all business; it’s all love, whatever. But I’m a grownup now. You not my hero no more.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I wish I was in my 20s during the ’90s to really fully live it. I feel like that was a pretty exciting time being from Chicago, seeing Jordan win six rings.”
― Iman Shumpert
“With Cleveland, I think they did a great job in knowing what their team needed, and when I came, I just did my job, and they fully embraced me.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I believe all men that are desired by masses of women due to looks, drive, and character are all more than likely to be seeing multiple women (Rightfully so if they are single).”
― Iman Shumpert
“Don’t let men fool you… we all want love; we just know that it can leave us very vulnerable, and we seek a woman who understands and protects that with her life.”
― Iman Shumpert
“Love is one of the only reminders besides pain that things are real. It’s one of the only things worth fighting for.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I just write verses. I don’t write all day long. When I have something that needs to be said, I just write it down on my notepad in my iPhone.”
― Iman Shumpert
“I ain’t got time to pay somebody to drive my vehicle.”
― Iman Shumpert
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