Iman Shumpert becomes first NBA player to win "Dancing with the Stars"
Former NBA champion Iman Shumpert can add another trophy to his collection after winning the 30th season of "Dancing with the Stars" on Monday night, becoming the first NBA player to do so.
Shumpert and his partner, pro dancer Daniella Karagach, wowed the judges after their freestyle set to "Lose Control" by Missy Elliot and "Bounce" by DJ Cent. Their electrifying performance earned them a perfect score of 40 and high praise from guest judge Julianne Hough, who called it her favorite freestyle she's seen in 30 seasons.
They beat out three other pairs remaining in the competition, including YouTube personality Jojo Siwa and dancer Jenna Johnson, who made history as the first same-sex couple on the show.
Shumpert, who is an NBA free agent, told Entertainment Tonight he'd never thought he'd have a ballroom trophy, and credited the work they put in to secure the top prize.
"Hats off to the work that we put in," he said. "I think me and Dani set our mind to that when we got that 40, that we don't want to just to drop off now and just steam out of the competition. I think we just put in a lot of hours and when it was time to perform, it got easy."
The Mirrorball Trophy is also the first for Karagach, who Shumpert said he "couldn't be happier" for.
Shumpert hasn't played in the league since January after a brief stint with the Brooklyn Nets. He won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, along with now-Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. His wife, singer and dancer Teyana Taylor congratulated Shumpert and Karagach on their victory.
"YALL GOT THAT! AS YOU SHOULD! WELL DESERVED!!" she wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for trusting one another, believing in one another."
