LeBron James' ex-teammate Iman Shumpert proves his rapping skills haven't faded with impressive new freestyle 

Iman Shumpert has returned to creating rap music as he released a new freestyle after almost a year. Shumpert posted the first track of what seemed to be a series of tracks titled “Emcee Mondays” on all of his social media pages on Monday. Shumpert’s track was titled “want u around,” which talked about how he missed a lady and the life he had with her.

IMAN, Shumpert’s stage name, posted a clip of the music video on his Instagram account.

The track was posted on IMAN’s YouTube channel. It was also his first rap upload in over a year.

Shumpert also teased about other upcoming tracks in his IG story, which is scheduled to come in the next weeks up until March.

Iman Shumpert's IG story (Image via Instagram/@imanshumpert)

“Ya ready now?,” Shumpert said.

Shumpert has been releasing rap tracks for a long time, even during his decade-long NBA career. He released numerous tracks since 2012, such as the “Knicks Anthem,” "Dear Kendrick," and "Chiraq."

He also shared numerous freestyle raps during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018, where he won the 2016 NBA championship alongside LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love.

Shumpert retired from the NBA in 2021 and has since explored other ventures, such as dancing while continuing his freestyle rapping career. In the 30th edition of Dancing With The Stars, Shumpert won it all alongside professional dancer Daniella Karagach.

Rapping has been Iman Shumpert’s “escape”

Iman Shumpert has been rapping his adolescence and continued it when he was drafted into the NBA in 2011 by the Knicks. Shumpert’s rap career was a side job for him while he played as a serviceable shooting guard throughout his basketball career.

In an essay he wrote in 2015, Shumper explained how he fell in love with rapping and how it has been considered an “escape.”

“I do not just "spit." To me, rapping is an art. I express myself through song when I can't let people in on my thoughts otherwise. I need the creative process,” Shumpert wrote in a lengthy writeup published by the Bleacher Report.

“Rapping has always been my escape from the floor. I don't have the attention span to play a video game for hours anymore—I'm on the damn game. And that's why I can't respect half the opinions telling me to stop rapping,” he added.

Shumpert went on to acknowledge the hip-hop culture as an influence on his rapping passion. He also said that he had hundreds of songs waiting to be released.

Shumpert is only 34 years old and still has a lot left in him for other careers outside of basketball.