The New York Knicks sometimes appear composed of disparate parts, but they care about each other. Iman Shumpert brought that point home recently when he helped suspend a one-off Twitter account opened at the expense of Shump’s teammate, Amar’e Stoudemire. The account wasn’t very complimentary of STAT, and Shump took offense.
It all started when an account for @AmarKnee was opened. While traveling Asia as part of his adidas tour, Shumpert noticed the new follower’s mocking handle of Stoudemire, who has suffered from multiple knee injuries over his career.
Shump sent the Twitter user a Direct Message, as reported by Alan Hahn of the MSG Network, via Sulia:
“This ain’t funny. It’s disrespectful to a man. A father. A warrior. A role model. And one of my good friends. Delete this page.”
The Twitter user obviously re-tweeted Shumpert’s DM, because of course he did. When you’re trying to rankle pro athletes, a direct message from another pro athlete only encourages their juvenile behavior.
"@AmarKnee: @I_Am_Iman tryin to kill my vibe! #KnicksTape #amarknee pic.twitter.com/0cdfVDltxL" delete ur profile and do the right thing.
— Iman Shumpert (@I_Am_Iman) July 23, 2013
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After Shumpert responded so vehemently, the account was suspended.
"@jets_knicks: @I_Am_Iman @AmarKnee lol his account got suspended" #shoutout to the fans for gettin that account suspended #TapeUno
— Iman Shumpert (@I_Am_Iman) July 23, 2013
"@jayvanbuiten: I know the man behind @AmarKnee. Should I tell @I_Am_Iman ??" Not if u love him
— Iman Shumpert (@I_Am_Iman) July 23, 2013
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Then Shumpert re-tweeted a fan who thanked him for defending Amar’e.
@I_Am_Iman Thank You For Defending our dear brother @Amareisreal . Without him, we wouldnt be where we are. Thank you from a diehard fan.
— Rest In Peace Keenan (@ContendaGOTEM) July 23, 2013
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As Hahn mentions in his Sulia post, Stoudemire is one of the most popular Knicks in the locker-room, which explains Shumpert’s protective tweets. Despite knee injuries that have plagued Stoudemire and robbed him of much of his explosiveness from his earlier days with the Suns, he’s constantly working hard on his body and trying to get ready for next season.
STAT’s teammates see how hard he works, and so obviously move to defend him when he’s attacked by fans upset at his astronomical contract and knee issues.
Was Shumpert right to defend Amar’e and get this Twitter account suspended?
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