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“What, you can fight?” – Iman Shumpert recalls Marco Belinelli's response to his intimidation tactics
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- “What, you can fight?” – Iman Shumpert recalls Marco Belinelli's response to his intimidation tactics
Rookies typically enter the NBA with a lot of zeal, eager to prove themselves worthy of a spot in the rotation. This manifests itself in playing hard and jawing with anyone they're tasked with checking once they're subbed into the game.
Former NBA guard Iman Shumpert was no exception as he recalled being a young stud on the New York Knicks during the 2011-12 season. Although he was a key piece of the rotation that season, starting 35 games and playing 28.9 minutes per game, he still was a rookie who, for the most part, was unaware of some of the ins and outs of the league, including which players he could mess with.
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And so, as he tangled with Italian guard Marco Belinelli during a game, he thought it was a good idea to try and get under his skin. He later discovered how wrong he was to even consider that notion.
Iman thought he could intimidate Marco
A well-built 6'5″ guard with a rock-solid physique, Shumpert thought he could impose his will on Belinelli. Given the European's reputation for being soft in the NBA, Shump intended to make the night a long one for his matchup.
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"Boy, we was playing them. Played for the Spurs, and you know how I am. I get under people's skin. I want to do all that. I want to put my elbow in your rib. I want to do it. Whatever you want to say after that, I'm a say it too. Let's do it. Get a tech. Swing on me. Do it," Shumpert shared on "Gil's Arena."
However, Shumpert learned that Belinelli was no pushover. During a lull in the action, Belinelli finally responded to Shumpert.
"It was dead silent in the building. And he's like, 'You see this motherf–ker? Like, you see this?' And pointed at his tattoo. And my rookie a-s, I'm like, 'What?'" Iman recalled. "I look dead at it, like, boxing gloves. I'm like, 'What? You can fight?'"
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"He like, 'Yeah, b–ch.'"
The most disrespectful moment
Over a decade has passed since that feisty exchange, but to this day, Shumpert still considers that moment the most disrespectful thing anyone did to him in the NBA.
"He took off. And I had to chase him. I said to myself, 'Oh. Oh, cold.' It was so cold. I couldn't even do nothing. I couldn't—I had no response ready. It was cold. That was the coldest s–t ever," Iman stated.
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"Like, how do D-Lo (D'Angelo Russell) be doing that ice in the veins s–t? Like, that's how he did it. Like, 'You see this?' Like, you know, 'I throw these hands.' Like, 'I ain't going to talk about it with you. Like, you want to do this?' Like, that's how he did it," Shump narrated.
Don't judge a book by its cover
Nobody can fault Iman for underestimating Marco in that game. After all, the Italian was a sharpshooter who did his damage away from the rim. And as mentioned, European hoopers had earned a reputation for not being physical and aggressive.
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But apparently, as Sumpert found out, Belinelli was made of a different kind of clay; he was a silent assassin who would rather trade punches than talk about it.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
