J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert – two New York Knicks legends. The hilarious duo played together in New York from 2011 to 2015. Smith and Shumpert were traded to Cleveland together and won a title in the summer of 2016.
Both players are no longer in the NBA. Smith is a student and golfer at NC A&T University, where he was recently named the academic athlete of the year due to his 4.0 GPA. He retired from the NBA in 2020, wrapping up his 16-year career with the Lakers.
Shumpert signed a 10-day contract with the Nets in February of 2021 and was then waived. He hasn’t officially retired, but it doesn’t seem as if basketball is at the forefront of Shumpert’s mind.
He and Daniella Karagrach won Season 30 of Dancing With The Stars, making him the first NBA player to not only compete but to also win it all.
Smith and Shumpert have been successful without basketball, but the sport is what brought the two of them together in the first place. And after a couple of years of not seeing one another, the two ran into each other in Los Angeles.
Knickstape ALWAYS 🥲 pic.twitter.com/tzuSgeV1qU
— 7 (@themarathon_7) April 28, 2022
J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert bring up old Knicks memories with video.
Does that video make anyone else miss the 2012-13 season? When the Knicks finished 54-28 and made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals?
Before the 2020-21 playoff berth, that had been the last time that New York had made it to the playoffs.
Shumpert started in all 45 games that he played in that year and averaged 6.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Smith played in 80 games and didn’t start at all but was still able to contribute a career-high 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Not to mention, that season was also one of Carmelo Anthony’s best.
It’d be fun to go back in time and watch those players turn back the clock. There have been rumors about Anthony making his way back to the Knicks, but as for Smith and Shumpert, they’re clearly living their best lives. As they should.
Although they didn’t get to win a ring with New York, at least they were able to do so eventually, even if it was with the Cavaliers. To fans, they’ll always be Knicks for life.
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