Iman Shumpert Becomes First Former NBA Player to Win ‘DWTS’ Competition, Pays Homage to Chicago with Final Dance

NBA champion winner Iman Shumpert can now add “Dancing With The Stars” winner to his list of championships.

The former Brooklyn Nets player made history last night by becoming the first former basketball player to win the celebrity professional dance competition. For 10 weeks, Shumpert has been learning choreography from his partner, Daniella Karagach, and together they would perform the dances they practiced together.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 14: Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert attend The Compound and Luxury Watchmaker Roger Dubuis Hosts NBA All-Star Dinner at STK Chicago on February 14, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Roger Dubuis)

Over the course of the competition, Shumpert’s dance moves have wowed fans, causing a couple of his dance routines to go viral on social media. In the Monday night episode, Shumpert paid homage to Chicago by incorporating some of the footwork called juking into their performance. It was down to Shumpert and dancer-singer JoJo Siwa when Tyra Banks announced with a happy and shocking reaction that Shumpert was the winner.

Last night, Shumpert received an overwhelming amount of love and congratulations from friends and fans, but no one was more excited than his wife, Teyana Taylor. The R&B singer, who is also a dancer herself, took to Instagram to share several moments of her husband on the dance floor. In the final post, she filmed herself and their daughter, Junie, screaming at the TV right after it was announced that he was the winner.

In the caption, she wrote, “THE LEVEL OF PROUD I AM IS TEWWWWWW MUCH TO EVEN PUT IN WORDS!!! WOW congrats @imanshumpert @daniellakaragach i am proud but NOT shocked!!!! YALL GOT THAT! AS YOU SHOULD! WELL DESERVED!! Thank you for trusting one another, believing in one another, killing that shit every week & most importantly foot working that mutha fucking mirror ball home!!!!!! PERIOD! Congrats guys!!! ”

Another important lady in Shumpert’s life who may be as equally as excited as his wife, is his mother, L’Tanya Shumpert. The 31-year-old revealed a few days ago that his mother is a huge fan of the show and said he would like to win the competition for her.

After winning last night, he told People that his parents have come to all of his performances every week, but weren’t able to make it during the finale because they were diagnosed with COVID-19. “When they said our name, I couldn’t think about nothing but what they were doing right now, how they were feeling about it [and] being able to watch it,” he said.

Shumpert added, “I just can’t wait for my mom to actually get our hands on this trophy because this is a show that means a lot to her.”