Former Knicks first-round pick arrested for marijuana possession
Former New York Knicks guard and NBA champion Iman Shumpert was arrested last Saturday after law enforcement allegedly found a “sizable” amount of marijuana in his bag in a Dallas airport, according to multiple reports — including TMZ and the New York Post.
Shumpert was stopped Saturday afternoon at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, at which time he admitted to police that the substance was marijuana, according to TMZ.
In total, police told TMZ that the marijuana weighed 6.12 ounces, which is a “State Jail Felony.” The charge means the former Knicks first-round pick faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. Shumpert was put in handcuffs at the time of the arrest, TMZ reported.
Looking back at Iman Shumpert’s career with the Knicks
Shumpert, better known at points as ShumpStreet, was a popular player after the Knicks drafted him 17th overall in 2011.
In four seasons with the Knicks, Shumpert averaged 7.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in 26.2 minutes a game.
His best year was actually his rookie campaign when he averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals. The numbers were good enough for him to finish fifth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting.
His best highlight in New York came during his second year when he flew in for a nasty put-back slam against the Indianapolis Pacers in the Eastern Conference SemiFinals.
Shumpert’s career-high came in 2014 with the Knicks, dropping 27 points on 13 shots against the San Antonio Spurs.
In the end, Knicks fans were left relatively frustrated with Shumpert, who never took the leap many expected him to take after his stellar rookie year.
In January 2015, Shumpert got traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers with his bench unit partner J.R. Smith for Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk, and a second-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft (yes, this was really the trade). New York also ended up getting Lance Thomas in the deal.
Shumpert then had a similar four seasons in Cleveland, where he averaged 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1 steal in 24.4 minutes a game.
His Cleveland years peaked during his first full season with the Cavaliers as the team won the NBA championship in the 2015-16 campaign.
Shumpert wasn’t a huge contributor to the team, but during the playoffs that year he did notch 17.5 minutes a game while posting 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds during the run.
Shumpert came up clutch in the pivotal Game 7 of the series, knocking down a momentum-shifting four-point play in the first half, and contributing six points and strong defense against the likes of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
After Cleveland, he ended up bouncing around the league, going from Sacramento to Houston to Brooklyn, where he finished his career after playing in 10 NBA seasons. He had some big games as recently as 2018 when he dropped 26 points for the Kings.
Most recently, Shumpert won a different type of title, winning the 30th season of “Dancing With The Stars” in 2021 — the first NBA player to do so.
