Has Former Knicks Star Officially Retired?

If the New York Knicks or any other NBA team is looking for veteran assistance, they’d be wise not to bump Shump.

Former Knicks star Iman Shumpert acknowledged his professional status in an interview with DJ Siddiq of Responsible Gambler, clarifying that he has not officially retired from basketball … and possibly never will.

“People ask me, ‘Are you retired?’ I don’t think I’ll ever say I’m done playing,” Shumpert told Siddiq. “I think if somebody said, ‘Hey man, I just need you to come sit here and work out with the guys.’ If everything made sense and I liked what I had to do, I wouldn’t mind doing it. I don’t think I’ll ever go on a podium and say, ‘I’m retiring from basketball.'”

Shumpert made it clear that any NBA opportunity would have to come with some assurance, as he’s not interested in recurring 10-day deals. Otherwise, he wouldn’t rule out niche endeavors like Ice Cube’s Big3 league.

“I don’t think I can do the whole 10-day, two-way contract,” he said. “I have two kids. I don’t need to do all that. If somebody needs me to come do what they know I can do and it’s something where I’m going to go there, I’m going to be in weight training, I’m going to be on the team and we’re trying to win something, that’s totally cool.”

“If not, I’ll stay out of everybody’s way and do my podcast and play basketball when I feel like it.”

Shumpert, 34, appeared in 10 NBA seasons after the Knicks made him the 17th overall pick of the 2011 draft. He spent three-plus seasons in Manhattan and drew rave reviews for his defense. He placed fifth in Rookie of the Year voting (behind winner Kyrie Irving and ahead of Klay Thompson and Kemba Walker) while landing first-team All-Rookie honors.

In a wider sense, Shumpert is perhaps best known for his four-season run with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which saw him partake in four runs to the NBA Finals, including the victorious title trek in 2016. Shumpert’s most recent NBA action came in the form of a two-game cameo with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, which followed other brief tours in Sacramento and Houston.

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