TAKEN WORDS. DYLAN MURPHY PHOTOS. adidas
When David Stern called Iman Shumpert's name at the 2011 NBA Draft, Knicks fans in attendance scratched their heads – some in disgust, and some in complete confusion. Seven months later, he's silenced the critics and put the entire NBA on notice.
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very player has a moment – a transformative realization that maybe those NBA dreams aren't so farfetched, aren't so distant. It's empowering, frightening even. Except for Iman Shumpert, the Chicago-area native who, thanks to the 17th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, is now a New York Knick. He had to be told of his potential for greatness, even if he knew in the back of his mind that NBA dreams were in the cards all along.
"My sophomore year, going into junior year when I was playing AAU ball, I started to excel," says Shumpert. "You know, my teammates started to tell me I was standing out, I was starting to do stuff they couldn't do."
His 24-year-old brother, Ahrii, possessed a keener eye for talent. But he was not alone. 40