Cleveland Cavaliers starting guard Iman Shumpert returned to the Oak Park and River Forest High School field house a different basketball player but still a Huskie at heart.
As Shumpert held his fourth annual co-ed youth basketball camp July 6-8, he had just played in his first National Basketball Association finals and recently agreed to a reported four-year, $40 million contract.
The 6-foot-5 Shumpert even had a temporary new hairstyle and scurried among the training stations atop a yellow PhunkeeDuck, the foot-operated motorized scooter given by girlfriend and singer Teyana Taylor for his 25th birthday June 26.Â
“I’m a huge teenager. That’s why I’m running around on this,” Shumpert said.
Shumpert took another ride down memory lane upon returning to OPRF, where he graduated from in 2008. Those days were the catalyst for his camp, which combines skill training and fun with Shumpert in the center of the action. He did not scrimmage only because of a shoulder injury he battled throughout the playoffs.
“I get a lot of support from my hometown and to come back and to have these kids’ faces light up, it makes my day better, makes my week better,” Shumpert said.
“I never had it done for me. It was one of the things that I thought would be cool, to see somebody from where you’re from have a camp. (You could) sit down, hang out, get to ask him whatever question you were thinking about ask them anything and they would be able to give you an answer face to face.”
Odis Shumpert said his son never attended basketball camps growing up because the professional athletes associated with them rarely attended. When Odis Shumpert learned of his son’s intentions of a local basketball camp, there was one criteria. He wanted his son there daily.
“So far, he’s done that,” Odis Shumpert said. “That was the most important thing, to have lunch with him, sit, talk, have sessions every day, play with him. They want to see you there.”
Camp director and former OPRF teammate Quinn Peterson said the 150 camp slots were filled faster than ever. Another 50 names went on a waiting list that was eventually cut off.
“I just love the energy of the camp. The kids have a lot of fun. They compete. They work hard. They get better. They’re enthusiastic,” Peterson said. “Iman is here. He’s hands on with the kids. He’s involved with everything. They can all touch him and talk to him and ask questions.”
Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is having more fun. There are roughly 20 coaches who either played with Shumpert, are friends or former coaches or are younger athletes with OPRF basketball ties. Peterson, a 2007 graduate, played two seasons with Shumpert, a three-year varsity player and two-time conference MVP.
“It’s like a family affair here. I’ve known everybody my whole life,” Shumpert said. “It’s two birds with one stone. I get to see everybody. We hang out, we have a bunch of laughs, we eat and then we laugh at whatever jokes the kids have to say.”
Oak Park resident Graham Eldred, 12, attended the camp for the third time. On July 8, the campers were treated to an advanced showing of the movie ‘Minions,’ two days before its nationwide opening.
“It’s definitely made me a better player,” said Eldred, who attends Julian Middle School.
“Shumpert’s really nice to us. It’s really cool just seeing him here. He looks so much bigger here than he does on TV. He’s giant. His hair is definitely different. He’s just a really nice guy, too, so that helps.”
Shumpert experienced quite a change of fortune this past season. Thanks to being traded for the first time, he was thrust into the thick of the NBA title chase after being with the New York Knicks, who finished 17-65. After three seasons at Georgia Tech, Shumpert was drafted in 2011 by the Knicks in the first round with the 17th overall pick.
The Cavaliers eliminated the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals in six games. Cleveland then swept the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the conference finals before losing to the Warriors in six games for the championship.
Shumpert started 16 of the Cavaliers’ 20 playoff games, averaging 9.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 34.8 minutes.
“I’m happy for him because he’s been through so much,” Peterson said. “He was hurt and the Knicks were struggling. (After the trade) he did a complete 180 so to see him have that success, he deserves it because he works so hard.”
It also was quite a playoff run for the Shumpert family. Odis, L’Tanya, Shumpert’s mother, and brothers Ahrii and Kasani traveled to all of the NBA Finals games in Cleveland and Oakland. Oldest brother Odis Jr., only attended games in Cleveland because of work commitments.
“I was exhausted and I didn’t play so imagine how they feel,” said Odis Sr. “It still amazes me to sit there in the seats and say, ‘That’s my son playing with those guys,’ not realizing he’s a professional, too. People ask how does it feel? I say I can’t tell you unless it’s with another parent who has a child playing professionally. It’s a feeling that’s unbelievable.”
Shumpert’s family helps to run the camp, from working at the sign-in desk to two brothers being among the coaches. Kasani sported the flat-top haircut more associated with Iman, but he has his hair bunched atop his head for now.
“It’s just something for the summer so I don’t have to do it. The high top is not going anywhere,” Shumpert said. “It’s just as simple as me being lazy and not wanting to do my hair every day. I leave it in a ponytail on Monday and it’s the same on Saturday. I kind of like it. It’s easy.”
The campers’ questions are numerous and cover all aspects of his game. There are plenty about playing in the NBA Finals, being traded and, of course, the Cavaliers beating the Bulls.
“I get a lot of Bulls questions,” Shumpert said. “They ask about all of the other players and different players so it’s always been a good time.”
What does Shumpert tell the campers about LeBron James?
“That he’s just a great dude,” Shumpert said. “LeBron is just a great human being, which sets him apart from other people. You wouldn’t expect him to be so down to Earth and I think he’s a very down to earth guy. I think he’s a very hard-working guy. I love being around him.”
During his OPRF days, Shumpert became close with Mike Carmody, a former OPRF basketball coach and special education teacher. Shumpert often visited Carmody’s classes while on break from college.
Carmody has founded and is executive director of Opportunity Knocks, an Illinois non-profit organization that locally serves young people with developmental disabilities. On July 6, Shumpert held his fourth annual one-day Shumparound Camp at Opportunity Knocks for 40 members, accompanied by camp coaches and five current OPRF players.
“It’s cool to see these (alumni) and how they’ve grown up and are giving back to their community,” Carmody said. “It’s part of the process. Like (Shumpert) was saying, he’s passing the torch to other people.”
The re-signing of Shumpert is among several moves intended to keep the core of the Cavaliers intact for next season.
Shumpert said he expects that the Eastern Conference title once again will go through the Bulls. James, who also agreed to a new contract with Cleveland, is seeking his third career championship after helping Miami win back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 after losing in the 2011 finals to the Dallas Mavericks.
“If history repeats itself with LeBron, you go to the finals again – and you win it,” Odis Shumpert, Sr. says with a laugh.