Though many Bulls fans remain disgruntled over Derrick Rose’s long road to recovery after a torn ACL, another player close to home has not only returned from the same injury – but has done so with authority.
Oak Park native and New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, who returned from an ACL injury earlier this year, threw down a mean tomahawk dunk during Game 2 of the Knicks-Pacers series Tuesday that has gone viral on YouTube.
The monster jam occurred early in the second quarter after a missed three-point attempt by Knicks forward Chris Copeland. Shumpert, a 6-foot-5 swingman averaging 10 points and 6.4 rebounds in the series, crashed the offensive glass to flush home a dunk that sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. Led by Carmelo Anthony (game-high 32 points) and Shumpert (15 points on 7-for-11 shooting, six rebounds), New York went on a 30-2 run in the second half en route to a 105-79 win after dropping Game 1 to the Pacers on Sunday.
Shumpert, an OPRF grad, returned to the area last summer to teach in The Shumpert Youth Basketball Camp for fifth through 10th grade boys and girls.