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LeBron James and Iman Shumpert won an NBA championship together back in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In an appearance on The Bootleg Kev Show, Shumpert said that James is possibly the greatest athlete in history and explained why he thinks "The King" flops so much.
Shumpert, who was teammates with James for four seasons in Cleveland, believes the only misconception about James is his flopping. At 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, it's frustrating for some people to see James flail on contact and exaggerate any collision with the opposition.
The 2021 Dancing with the Stars winner explained that LeBron James flops to get calls from referees. James is a gifted individual and he gets fouled quite often during games. However, according to Shumpert, if James doesn't flop to show the extent of the foul to the referee, he does not get the call in his favor.
Shumpert believes that is the main reason why the four-time NBA champion started flopping.
"The worst thing we had against LeBron is, 'Bro why you flopping?' And literally he started flopping because he's like, 'Bro, I got to get these free throws if these people getting free throws.' He’s like, 'Bro I’m really getting hit.' So he’s like 'I'll sell it for you since they can’t see it because I’m so strong y’all can’t see me getting fouled," Shumpert said.
James has been in the NBA since 2003 and he's adjusted to everything that has happened in the league.
Iman Shumpert believes that LeBron James carries the stigma of losing too much in the NBA Finals
In the same interview on The Bootleg Kev Show, Iman Shumpert believes that James' losing record at the NBA Finals has impacted the LA Lakers forward. "The King" has won four NBA championships, but also lost six finals in his 17-year NBA career so far.
James reached the NBA Finals eight straight times between 2011-2018. He won two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won his fourth in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James' six losses in the Finals came against the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. He lost to the Spurs in 2007 and 2014, lost to the Mavericks in 2011 and lost to the Warriors in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
Some people look at James' record in the NBA Finals and often compare it to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. James has copped a lot of criticism for his poor Finals record, most of it unfair. He was too young against the Spurs in 2007 (23 years old) and the Warriors were too stacked for James to take down alone.
However, LeBron James had a poor showing in the Finals against the Mavericks in 2011. There was too much pressure at the time and it might have affected his performances on court.
Nevertheless, James has developed as a player and became one of the best clutch players of his generation. He'll be turning 37 years old in less than two weeks and he's still playing like a top-five player in the league. If the LA Lakers can get it together, there's a chance James could win his fifth NBA championship.
