Who knows what was on Iman Shumpert’s mind when he contended that LeBron James ruined basketball? Speaking on the Bootleg Kev Podcast that premiered on Tuesday, he said the four-time Most Valuable Player awardee “knows [it]. He thought he was making it better. I get it. Me, personally, I love the [National Basketball Association] for the loyalty that I thought was there. He basically knocked the fourth wall down.” And because of the subject, his views quickly became fodder for hoops habitués on both sides of the argument.
To be sure, the notion that James has forever changed the way teams are constructed is nothing new. Depending on perspective, he either enabled ring chasing to a ridiculous degree or showed players the way to having more control of their destiny. These days, long-term contracts are more the exception than the rule, and collective bargaining provisions supposedly highlighting the equity of the incumbent have become less potent in getting stars to stay. And, yes, The Decision in 2010 ushered in the era of increased mobility.
Nonetheless, it’s fair to call Shumpert to task for cherry-picking his facts. For one thing, players have tried to form superteams long before James was born; the annals of pro basketball is replete with examples of dynasties built on the shoulders of marquee names. For another, it doesn’t matter how these dynasties were built; whether they were the products of backroom deals of general managers or of crafty moves of players, the bottom line stayed the same.
Interestingly, Shumpert himself can best be described as a journeyman who toiled for fives franchises — including, lo and behold, the Cavaliers, during which he went to four straight Finals and claimed one championship. And, yes, James led the charge through all four seasons. For some reason, it seemed lost on him that he benefited from the so-called ruining of basketball. And as for loyalty, he certainly donned more uniforms that the target of his criticism.
Which leads to the most important aspect of the Podcast: It became significant only because it touched on James, and not because Shumpert was the guest. Perhaps, he would do well to stop riding on the coattails of the player he claims “ruined basketball.”
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.