Iman Shumpert has some advice for young athletes about dating. And it comes as his own relationship history continues to draw attention. The former NBA champion believes making money before experiencing relationships can create a different set of challenges.
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“Talk to girls before you get some money,” Shumpert said on the episode of SideHustlin’ with Kristi K. “And then you won’t feel the pressure. There’s so many dudes that they never got a girl till they got some money. So they don’t know how to do anything but show them that they got money.
“That’s how you keeping the girl cuz you never really had a girlfriend that you said you couldn’t pay. And she was like, ‘I’m still going to go with you. Cuz we’re really friends. And I’ll ask my mom for $10. It’s okay that you don’t have $10.’ Girls won’t do that anymore.”
Iman Shumpert’s perspective on money dates back to his childhood, long before his NBA career. Appearing on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, he recalled inviting a girl he was dating in high school to his family home.
He had to explain their living arrangements, including how he shared a bedroom with his brothers. The situation became more uncomfortable when rain started leaking through the roof. “We kind of like knew the spot cuz we knew we needed to replace the roof or whatever,” he recalled two years ago.
“I remember seeing her face look like ‘How you know to go right there with the pot like what.’ And I had like this like embarrassed, like pi–ed moment all in one. It was weird as sh–.”
What embarrassed him most was his date’s reaction. Within the next 10 minutes, the girl’s mother arrived to pick her up. The experience stayed with him. Iman Shumpert’s mindset of managing with his own finances during his NBA career showcases his recent advice.
To avoid overspending, he reportedly had his brother and financial advisor set aside half of every paycheck while keeping his primary account out of sight. He often believed he had only $20 or a few hundred dollars in his everyday Bank of America checking account, helping him resist expensive purchases and pressure to live lavishly.
His dating comments have added another layer to the attention surrounding his past marriage.
Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor married in 2016, separated in 2023, and finalized their divorce in July 2024. The former couple share two daughters. Their split made headlines again in October 2026 after Stephen A. Smith addressed the divorce on his The Culture Table podcast.
The ESPN veteran claimed Taylor received $25 million in cash and another $10 million in property and other assets, while Shumpert was left with approximately $2 million and no home. Smith later acknowledged that the financial figures were inaccurate and that statements he attributed to Shumpert had not actually come from the NBA champion.
“In the interest of fairness, accuracy, and decency,” Smith said while addressing the controversy in his public apology. And then acknowledged his mistake. “Those statements were inaccurate, and I want to sincerely apologize to both Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor.”
Smith also admitted that the quotes he attributed to Shumpert were fabricated. “The quotes attributed to him, however, were not his statements at all, and the financial figures presented were inaccurate,” he explained.
In an apology published on October 10, Stephen A. said he had spoken directly with Taylor, who confirmed that the information was false. He apologized to both Taylor and Iman Shumpert. So far, the former NBA champion has not responded to Smith’s comments.
But that scrutiny adds context to Iman Shumpert’s advice to young athletes to date before getting rich. He has spoken about the embarrassment of bringing a high school girlfriend to a home with a leaking roof, the moment money became important to him. That ultimately led to the steps he later took to protect his NBA earnings by setting aside half his paychecks.