Iman Shumpert calls out Ronnie 2K for leaving him off of historic 2016 Cavs team

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Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cleveland Cavaliers champion Iman Shumpert recently called out Ronnie Singh, better known as Ronnie 2K, on X (formerly Twitter), as he has apparently been left off of the Cavs’ 2015-16 team on an NBA 2K24.

Singh is described as the face of the popular video game series, serving as 2K Games’ digital marketing director and de facto spokesperson. He has yet to respond to Shumpert’s social media post.

It is unfortunate that Shumpert is omitted from the Cavs’ championship-winning roster because he was a key piece of the team’s title run in the 2016 playoffs.

He arrived in Cleveland from the New York Knicks alongside J.R. Smith via a midseason trade in the 2014-15 campaign. The former first-round pick had to adjust to his role, transitioning from a full-time starter to bench player. Through the remainder of the regular season, Shumpert averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-5 wing was given a more prominent role in the 2015 playoffs after the team lost Kevin Love to an injury in the first round and Smith to a two-game suspension. He was thrust into the starting lineup at the start of the Cavs’ Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the Chicago Bulls, a spot he would retain until the end of the postseason.

Cleveland made it all the way to the Finals, but unfortunately lost to the Golden State Warriors with Kyrie Irving out with an injury for most of the series.

Shumpert averaged 9.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 3-pointers per contest in the 2015 playoffs. The Georgia Institute of Technology product displayed his worth as a rotation player for the Cavs.

The 2015-16 season saw him return to a reserve role again. However, the squad had enough firepower and showed impressive chemistry in that campaign, booking a rematch with the Warriors that had set a regular-season record with 73 wins.

Shumpert and company proved to be the better side, defeating the defending champions in seven games. The Cavs’ win broke a Cleveland sports curse, giving the city its first championship by a major professional sports team after a 52-year drought. Such a milestone should not be lost on NBA 2K’s developers.

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Orel is a freelance writer who is passionate about the NBA. He has followed the league since the late '90s and found increased interest in it in 2003 – when an 18-year-old prodigy from Akron, Ohio took the league by storm.