Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) reacts against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. New York won 95-90. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

Former Knicks Guard Reveals One Regret

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Former New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert has been retired from the NBA for a few years and he has come to terms with his basketball career — for the most part.

Shumpert hosted his first episode of the "All In" podcast with former Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers, where he shared the one regret he had in his career with the Knicks.

“If I could tell my younger self something, I would’ve told myself to be a diva… I should’ve threw my hands up and down like ‘Y’all need to trade me somewhere where I could play point guard," Shumpert said.

“And don’t get me wrong. I feel like I still had a great career. I got to play on a championship team, got to play in the championship multiple times which don’t happen for a lot of guys. But I feel like on my personal development side, I suffered because every year, I just had to conform to whatever they wanted me to be."

Shumpert was a solid role player in the NBA for 10 seasons, four of which were with the Knicks from 2011-15. He never averaged more than 10 points per game in a season, but he was also a role player on competitive teams in the league.

Shumpert made the playoffs six times in his career, including in 2016 when he won the NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shumpert got to Cleveland the year before when he and J.R. Smith were traded by the Knicks to the Cavs, who were looking to surround LeBron James with strong guards.

While he was always a role player, there was the potential for Shumpert to grow into a top-tier player. He averaged over 17 points per game in his junior year at Georgia Tech the season before entering the NBA. Then, he was on the All-NBA Rookie First Team, but tore his ACL one game into the playoff run with the Knicks in 2012.

Had that injury not happened, Shumpert's career may have been very different and the trajectory of NBA history may have also changed.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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