Background and career
Iman Asante Shumpert ( ee-MAHN; born June 26, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and was selected by the New York Knicks with the 17th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. Shumpert was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015 and won an NBA championship with them in 2016. He also had stints with the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and Brooklyn Nets. Shumpert won season 30 of Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Daniella Karagach in 2021, making him the first NBA player to win the finale.
Shumpert was born on June 26, 1990, in Berwyn, Illinois. Shumpert's father, Odis Wayne Shumpert (January 24, 1954 – October 27, 2025), was an insurance broker while his mother, L'Tanya, is an adjunct professor of art and design at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois. In the eighth grade, he and fellow NBA player Evan Turner were teammates on the same basketball team at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in Oak Park, Illinois. Shumpert went on to attend Oak Park and River Forest High School, where he was a first team all-state player and was one of the nation's top 30 seniors. Shumpert helped Oak Park and River Forest to three conference titles and was named conference MVP as a junior and senior. He was rated No. 15 among the nation's senior players by Scout.com and No. 26 by Rivals.com. Shumpert was also selected to play in the 2008 McDonald's All-American Game and was named a third-team Parade All-American.
As a freshman for Georgia Tech in 2008–09, Shumpert was the team's fourth-leading scorer for the season, averaging 10.5 points per game and hitting 34.5 percent of his three-point attempts. During the 2009–10 season, Shumpert underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a damaged meniscus in his right knee on December 3 and missed six games. Shumpert went on to finish the season as the team's third-leading scorer with 10.0 points per game. In the 2010–11 season, Shumpert led his team in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding, and assists, becoming only the seventh player in ACC history to do so. He ranked fourth in the ACC in scoring, 15th in rebounds, 10th in field goal and free throw percentage, and first in steals (seventh in the nation). Shumpert was named to the All-ACC second team and was a member of the conference's all-defensive team. He also holds the Georgia Tech record for steals per game. On March 28, 2011, Shumpert declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.
Shumpert was drafted with the 17th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. In February 2012, then-teammate Jared Jeffries said that "he's about as good an on-ball defender as there is in the league right now". Shumpert was selected to compete in the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest but was unable to participate due to a knee injury. On April 28, 2012, during a first round playoff game against the Miami Heat, Shumpert suffered a knee injury while dribbling in midcourt and was immediately helped off the court. An MRI later revealed that Shumpert tore his left ACL and meniscus and would miss the rest of the season. Shumpert finished fifth in the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year voting. He received 33 total votes and one first-place vote from a ballot that was filled out by 120 writers and broadcasters from across the country. Shumpert was also the only rookie to receive votes for the Defensive Player of the Year award. On January 13, 2013, Shumpert was medically cleared to participate in team practice. He made his season debut four days later in a game against the Detroit Pistons at The O2 Arena in London. He went on to record eight points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. In July 2013, Shumpert played one summer league game for the Knicks, recording two points, six rebounds, and four assists in a 77–72 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He made 45 total starts for New York during the 2012–13 NBA season, recording averages of 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. On December 12, 2014, Shumpert dislocated his left shoulder in the second quarter of the Knicks' 101–95 victory over the Boston Celtics and was subsequently ruled out for three weeks. Shumpert logged 74 appearances (including 58 starts) for the Knicks in the 2013–14 season, averaging 6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.
On January 5, 2015, Shumpert was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Knicks in a three-team trade that also involved the Oklahoma City Thunder. Cleveland received Shumpert and J. R. Smith from the Knicks and a first round pick in the 2015 NBA draft from the Thunder, while Cleveland sent Dion Waiters to Oklahoma City and Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk, and a second round pick in the 2019 NBA draft to the Knicks, and the Thunder sent Lance Thomas to the Knicks. On January 23, Shumpert made his debut for the Cavaliers, recording eight points, two rebounds, and two assists in the 129–90 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavaliers made it to the 2015 NBA Finals, but they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games despite a 2–1.
On July 9, 2015, Shumpert re-signed with the Cavaliers to a four-year, $40 million contract. On September 29, he was ruled out for three months after suffering a ruptured Extensor Carpi Ulnaris sheath in his right wrist. Shumpert made his season debut on December 11 against the Orlando Magic, scoring 14 points off the bench in the 111–76 victory. On March 5, 2016, he recorded 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds off the bench in a 120–103 victory over the Boston Celtics. On April 11, Shumpert was ruled out for the Cavaliers' final two games of the regular season after getting his left knee drained. Shumpert returned in time for the playoffs and helped the Cavaliers make it to the NBA Finals for the second straight season. The Cavaliers would again face the Golden State Warriors. Despite the Cavaliers going down 3–1 in the series following a Game 4 loss, they went on to win the series in seven games to become the first team in NBA history to win the NBA Finals after being down 3–1. Cavaliers' coach Tyronn Lue started using Shumpert at backup point guard early on in the 2016–17 season. On March 14, 2017, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 128–96 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Shumpert helped the Cavaliers go 12–1 over the first three rounds of the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals for the third straight season. There, the Cavaliers matched up with the Warriors again, but lost the series in five games. On December 1, 2017, Shumpert was ruled out for six to eight weeks following surgery on his left knee. Shumpert returned to action on January 23, 2018, against the San Antonio Spurs.
