2016 NBA champion Iman Shumpert used his podcast to push back on calls to shorten the league’s 82-game season, and a clip of his argument spread on social media. Fans rallied behind the former Cavaliers guard, while one fan had some fun with the old-school tone of his message.

The clip arrived the same week Bill Simmons used his own podcast to urge Commissioner Adam Silver to cut the season to 70 games. Shumpert landed firmly on the other side of that debate.

Fans Line Up Behind Iman Shumpert’s Call to Keep Full NBA Schedule

Shumpert went right at the idea of a shorter schedule. He argued that the fix for the league’s injury problem is better conditioning and a change in how the game is played, not fewer games, and he doubted a trimmed calendar would buy players much more rest.

He held up Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Gary Payton as stars who all played 82-game seasons, challenging the idea that the current generation can’t carry the same load.

Shumpert also wants players to post up, take midrange shots, and play through contact instead of flopping. In his view, bringing that physical style back could be a better answer to the injury wave than cutting games.

Shumpert made his case on “Shump Street with Iman Shumpert,” the podcast he hosts, in an episode built around the NBA’s growing injury problem.

“There’s 82 games in the season. Y’all want the WNBA? Take your [expletive] over to the WNBA. They don’t play 82. We play 82. Lift your weights, take your meds, and win your games. [Michael Jordan] played 82, Karl Malone played 82, John Stockton played 82, Gary Payton played 82. Now we’re going to play 65?” he said.

This comes amid a growing list of injured stars. Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Paolo Banchero, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Kawhi Leonard were among the players expected to miss significant time, and the Pacers were reduced to just six available players earlier this week.

Meanwhile, several fans were glad to hear a former player defend the full schedule so bluntly. “This brought tears to my eyes,” one fan wrote.

One user set the record straight: “Agree 100%. Basketball players should train like basketball players. Not celebrities who play basketball.”

Another fan went even further: “Shump might be the last hope for what basketball was meant to be.”

A third fan agreed and turned the conversation to the money today’s players earn, writing, “No lies told. They paying them all these millions.”

Not everyone took the message so earnestly. Rather than argue about the schedule, one fan offered a wry take on Shumpert himself. “We have all lived long enough for Shump to become a ‘get off my lawn’ guy,” they wrote.

The gap between the two camps comes down to 12 games, the difference between the 82 Shumpert defended and the 70 Simmons wants. Simmons put that decision on Silver, and the schedule still stands at 82 games.