An NBA champion denies that Stephen Curry 'ruined the NBA with three-pointers': "It was LeBron James who did it"

Iman Shumpert, former NBA player and 2016 champion, pointed to LeBron James as the main driver of change in modern basketball, not Stephen Curry, as many often argue. During a conversation on Shaquille O'Neal's podcast, Shumpert was asked if he believed Curry was the reason the league is as it is today. Shumpert disagreed and attributed the transformation to LeBron, explaining his perspective in detail.

"Did Steph [Curry] ruin the game? Because I was also asked this and I said, 'The person who ruined all this was [LeBron James],'" Shumpert stated. According to him, the impact started when James joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat, forming the iconic "Big Three." This super alignment, nicknamed "The Heatles," dominated the NBA for several years, setting a precedent for stars to team up to maximize their championship chances.

Shumpert added that the ripple effect of this move didn't end there. When LeBron returned to Cleveland and created another "Big Three" alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, he set the stage for a showdown with the Golden State Warriors. After losing the 2015 Finals to the Warriors, the style of play focused on three-point shooting solidified. "LeBron went to Miami [Heat]. Now everyone thinks it's okay, they can team up. So, you create the three-headed snake with Steph Curry. Once they defeated us [Cleveland Cavaliers], the two-point shot disappeared. If you really analyze it... it's our fault. If we hadn't lost that first championship, who would be shooting threes?" Shumpert explained.

2015 Finals

In those 2015 Finals, LeBron's Cavaliers faced Curry and Klay Thompson's Warriors, known as the Splash Brothers for their three-point shooting prowess. Despite the Cavs being favorites with LeBron as their leader, Kyrie Irving's injury and the Warriors' ability to bombard from the three-point line proved decisive. Golden State won the series 4-2, and since then, the league began prioritizing the three-pointer over mid-range shots.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Un excampeón NBA niega que Stephen Curry "arruinara la NBA con los triples": "Fue LeBron James el que se lo cargó"