Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert is not a fan of the Fox series Empire, and his beef is somewhat comical — claiming the hit show got the idea for two major characters from him and his woman.
Shumpert shared his thoughts on the show with Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group:
They’re using my girl’s character, her style, her look and she’s not getting anything for it. They didn’t even change her name. They could have at least let my girl audition for the part instead of stealing her character completely.
And come on man, they’re really using a guy with a flat top like me. Come on. That’s ridiculous. They never called us. We were blindsided. We found out by our family and fans when the show aired.
I don’t see how they can deny it. Everybody knows.
Shumpert, an NBA player who fancies himself as a rapper, and his girlfriend Teyana Taylor have very distinct hairstyles.
Shump rocks the flat top — while Taylor likes a curly — puffy hairdo.
In the series — Hakeem Lyon (played by Bryshere Gray) and girlfriend Tiana Brown (Serayah) each have hairdos oddly resemble Shumpert and Taylor. It doesn’t help the conspiracy theories either because Brown is an R&B singer in the show.
A fan brought the similarities to Shumpert, who had no problems co-signing the theory that those characters are based off him.
"@AtlHulio: Damn Joe I ain't know they cast you on Empire @I_Am_Iman
Iman wasn’t done there.
“My girl and her fans are more mad about it than I am,” Shumpert said, via Haynes. “I’m a ball player, but that’s her field. That’s what she does. Me personally, I don’t plan on taking any action but I don’t know about her.”