Shumpert Defends NBA's 82-Game Season

The 2016 champion argues conditioning and play style, not fewer games, would address the league's injury problem.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Basketball

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Should the NBA shorten its 82-game regular season to reduce player injuries?

Former NBA champion Iman Shumpert defended the league's 82-game regular season on his podcast, pushing back against calls to shorten it. He argued that players should adapt their style of play and conditioning rather than cut the schedule.

Why it matters

The debate comes as several prominent players are expected to miss significant time and the Pacers were reduced to six available players this week. The NBA's schedule remains at 82 games, while the proposed alternative would cut 12 games.

The NBA regular season is 82 games, and the shortened schedule proposed by Bill Simmons would be 70, a difference of 12 games. The Pacers were reduced to six available players earlier this week, a figure the league has not yet addressed as part of the schedule debate.

The players

Iman Shumpert

Iman Shumpert is a former NBA guard and 2016 champion who now hosts the podcast "Shump Street with Iman Shumpert."

Bill Simmons

Bill Simmons is a sports media personality and podcaster who proposed cutting the NBA season to 70 games.

Adam Silver

Adam Silver is the Commissioner of the NBA, the official to whom Simmons directed his call for a shorter schedule.

The details

Shumpert made his case on his podcast, "Shump Street with Iman Shumpert," arguing that better conditioning and changes in how the game is played are the fix for the league's injury problem. He cited Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Gary Payton as stars who played 82-game seasons and said players should post up, take midrange shots and play through contact instead of flopping.

Shumpert's podcast defense of the 82-game season came the same week Bill Simmons urged Commissioner Adam Silver to cut the season to 70 games.

Season Trajectory

The debate over the 82-game schedule traces back to the era of Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Gary Payton, who all played full 82-game seasons. Shumpert's argument places today's injury concerns within that historical standard rather than treating the schedule as a new problem.

The 82-game schedule remains in place, so the regular-season game count fans follow is unchanged. Players expected to miss significant time, including Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard, will affect fantasy rosters and lineup decisions in the meantime.

The takeaway

The argument over the NBA schedule centers on whether the league's injury problem is a matter of workload or of how players condition themselves and play the game. Readers following the debate can track how the league responds to the 82-game versus 70-game proposal.