The NBA the Cbusiness brought Shump to Cleveland but his heart was still in the Big Apple. The Cavaliers first championship run was built on the breakup of the iconic Knickstape era in New York. Yet teaming up with LeBron James with a high likelhood of winning a ring didn’t end the friendship between Iman Shumpert and Carmelo Anthony. A decade after he helped bring the banner to Cleveland, Iman Shumpert is hilariously blaming Melo for the Cavs’ chemistry issues.

Shump made no secret that dysfuction was the theme of the Cavaliers’ 2016 championship run. It was a far cry from the chemistry he had with JR Smith and Melo for his first three NBA seasons in New York. But who would’ve thought that was partially responsible for why Iman had a hard time adapting to the LeBron ecosystem?

In his latest appearance on Club Shay Shay, Shump was honest once more that his current friendship with LeBron James didn’t come easy. “I was forced to hate him,” Shumpert revealed his self-imposed vow. “It’s like, ‘Bro, I just been trained to be Melo’s homie.’ Like, you and Melo are homies, but I’m not supposed to be your homie, right?”

You couldn’t blame Shumpert. The “Knicks vs. Heat” rivalry of the early 2010s, when Bron was leading Miami to two titles, created a tribalistic environment. He carried the belief that befriending the opposition felt like a betrayal of his franchise centerpiece, Carmelo Anthony, even if he was no longer a part of the Knicks.

He laughs about it now but it posed a major mental struggle when he went from Bron’s rival to his teammate. He thought hanging out with James during the offseason felt like an affront to Anthony’s leadership. “If I was out and about one day in the summer… and I’m just out hanging with Bron, I feel like Melo would be looking at that like, ‘What’s up with you?'”

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However, Shumpert’s cold principle thawed quickly once he began reaping the benefits of James’s elite skills. “Once you’re on the court with him and he’s just out there making it easy for you, you just be like, ‘Melo, he ain’t so bad, bro.’ He passes that s— though, for real. Like, we get money over here.'”

This realization marked a turning point for Shumpert. He swapped old-school loyalty with the reality of his new championship-chasing environment.

Iman Shumpert’s tough transition to the LeBron James model

Ironically, Iman Shumpert was putting too much weight on it. Carmelo Anthony was able to put aside the rivalry with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade aside when they played in the Olympics, the 2008 Redeem Team specifically.

The Miami Big 3 era ended with James’ return to Cleveland. But the shakeup in the East was further solidified when Melo’s primary teammates, Shumpert and Smith were shipped from a struggling Knicks roster to join James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland.

At the time, Melo was the undisputed face of New York hoops, and Shumpert had served as his defensive enforcer for nearly four seasons. Till date, Shump never got over this trade.

He went from the Knickstape culture to a team where Bron dictated the locker room and Kyrie Irving was fighting for a bigger role. This internal conflict was eventually resolved by the undeniable success of the Cavaliers’ system, which saw Shumpert play a vital role in the historic 2016 NBA Finals comeback. He only averaged 6.5 PPG in Cleveland but was a defensive wall on the perimeter (something Bron could use in LA right now).

Today, Shumpert’s forced hatred has turned into personal reverence for LeBron James. Although he’d tell him to his face that he is not above Michael Jordan, but his admiration for Bron is not subtle. His emphasis on an unwritten social contract is hilarious now because Carmelo Anthony didn’t have any problems teaming up with LeBron at the end of his career. But at least they can joke about it now.