Iman Shumpert wants to win the 'DWTS' mirrorball trophy for his mom
NBA player Iman Shumpert may not have completely known what he was getting himself into competing on "Dancing With the Stars," but his mom has been a dedicated fan of the ABC show for years.
So dedicated that her reaction convinced him to enter the competition.
“I told my mother about it and she screamed,” he says. “Really loud. And that was all of the confirmation I needed for wanting to do the show, just knowing my mom watches it and loves it. … She actually keeps up with the show if I’m not on it.
“Knowing that made me say it was a no-brainer in doing the show, knowing my mom was a fan, knowing she and my aunties were going to be watching and they really want me to win, they don’t just want me to be part of the show.”
So when asked how winning the mirrorball trophy would compare to the NBA title he won as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, there shouldn’t be much comparison. One, after all, is the achievement of a lifelong goal and being crowned the best of the best league in the world. The other is a reality show trophy.
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“I think it’s the flip,” he says. “My mom, not having a special relationship with basketball but flying everywhere and anywhere on planes to support me. And her knowing that this is the flip, this is me just being her son. ... I just want to have this to give to my mother so she can hang it and smile at it and brag at it.”
Shumpert and pro partner Daniella Karagach earned their spot on Monday night’s finale (8 p.m. ET/PT) with a jazz and a tango routine in last week’s semifinals. They also made headlines earlier in the competition for earning a perfect score from the judges. While professional athletes have won the competition before, he would be the first NBA player to win.
Shumpert and Karagach have been on a roll as the competition draws to a close, but in the first few weeks, the duo was on the receiving end of what many fans thought was unfairly tough criticism from the judges.
He said it was all just part of the learning process.
“Early on, it was a little nerve-wracking seeing the scores but understanding that I got to the next round gave me some comfort,” he says. “Once I was able to start seeing the actual rules and what actually goes into determining the score, I was able to show some improvements. Luckily for me, that’s what the show is based on.”
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When he's not practicing with Karagach, Shumpert says his oldest daughter, Junie, has been pressuring him to teach her his routines. He's also releasing a single called "Outside," which is about the adjustment to being back together and has plans to release an entire album.
Also competing in the finals are entertainer and social media influencer JoJo Siwa and partner Jenna Johnson, TV personality Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten, and Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke. (And, no, Shumpert says, he’s not a Peloton user.)
So he is surprised by his success?
“I don’t do things to get knocked out of the competition so I knew that if given enough time, I could pick up on what they’re putting down,” he says. “It’s not a shock but I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'DWTS': Iman Shumpert wants to win mirrorball trophy for his mom
