Iman Shumpert Rips Tracy McGrady's Controversial MVP Remark: 'This Is Why He Ain't Get Out The First Round'
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NBA legend Tracy McGrady recently said he believes an MVP is more valuable than a championship when evaluating and comparing two players’ career achievements.
Former NBA champion Iman Shumpert heard these comments during a later appearance on Gilbert Arenas’ show, ‘Gil’s Arena’. He took particular exception to McGrady’s opinion.
“He’s tripping, and it’s tough because, Mac, I had your shoes. You feel me, though? Like, You’re really my dog. Like, I really love you, G,” Iman Shumpert said.
“Like, I had arguments about you. You know what I’m saying? Is it you? Is it Kobe? Like, we had these arguments. You see what I’m saying? And you’re going to do this to me? You feel? And I feel a way, G. Like, ’cause this is why he ain’t get out the first round. I’m blown down.”
“This is why, like, people get in arguments in the barbershop. This is why I’m hurt, ’cause I’m like, gee, I didn’t have to do that to Kobe, ’cause Kobe would have never said s–t like that,” Shumpert continued.
“Hey, G, like, we all got kids now. Like, Mac, you can’t say no s–t like that. We got kids, for real, though. You don’t get to teach my kids that winning doesn’t matter. The f–k it does? It matters, Joe. You’re supposed to win.”
“That’s the only reason you’re supposed to touch the hardwood. You’re trying to win. I’m trying to beat him over there. You don’t get to say we lost this year, but I want MVP, so it was a success. The hell no, you don’t. You don’t get to do that, Joe,” Iman Shumpert added.
“How many MVPs did Mac get? Nah, he didn’t get nothing. All right. That’s what I’m saying, though. It just—it blew me, though, ’cause it’s like you’re supposed to have MVPs. If you had won the championship, you would have had it. You see what I’m saying?”
“I’m blown down. I had his—you feel me, though? I had to tell my dad why I wanted these sneakers over Kobe’s. I’m really personally hurt.”
Last summer, Tracy McGrady claimed that he would have won more championships if he played with Shaquille O’Neal instead of Kobe Bryant. Shumpert’s comments indicate that he would have agreed with that take if not for his current comments.
Later on the show, Iman Shumpert circled back to the debate and also dragged in Andre Iguodala, James Harden, and Damian Lillard into the debate and went on to dive into the NBA’s Top 75 list.
“Finals MVP might be better than the MVP. I’m just going to throw it out there in case you didn’t know that, T-Mac. Finals MVP might weigh more,” Shumpert claimed.
“Because I ain’t going to lie, to this day, Andre Iguodala’s MVP holds a lot more weight than a lot of you n—-s. Yes, he sent us home. I was in that series, bro; there was no reason for us to go home besides Andre Iguodala,” he added.
“We knew the light-skinned man [Stephen Curry] was going to do his thing… I don’t want to talk about the light-skinned man, because that debate bothers me on a different level. But Andre Iguodala? The way he came out there torching us, bro? It’s like that holds more weight to me than a lot of regular-season MVPs.”
Iman Shumpert contended that a list like the NBA’s Top 75 players isn’t the metric for deciding the weightage because a player like Damian Lillard, who doesn’t have a championship or an MVP award, made the list over a four-time NBA champion like Klay Thompson.
“In the history of the game, Andre Iguodala’s MVP will be remembered over James Harden’s MVP… N—-s don’t care about the NBA Top 75; it’s all political s–t… Dame is in it; he’s in the Top 75. He ain’t won s–t. I love Dame to death, but he ain’t won s–t,” Shumpert said.
In the end, Iman Shumpert’s heartfelt reaction draws attention to the never-ending discussion about how NBA careers should be assessed based on both individual honors and team accomplishments.
Meanwhile, his argument also calls into question the importance of the Finals MVP award and how a player’s legacy can be shaped by specific postseason performances.
Regardless of whether fans support Shumpert or McGrady, the debate highlights how arbitrary player comparisons can be, particularly when individual honors, championships, and standout playoff moments are all taken into account.