Back in September, it was reported that NBA free agent Iman Shumpert had joined Dacncing With The Stars for the show’s 30th season.
Shumpert, who had not signed with an NBA team following a short stint with the Brooklyn Nets, has been pursuing a career in music since first entering the league in 2011, and with the announcement that he and his endlessly talented wife, Teyana Taylor, inked a deal with E! for a new reality series, it only made sense for the former high-flyer to try his hand at competitive dancing.
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To start the season, Shumpert and his Dancing With The Stars partner, Daniella Karagach, paid homage to Outkast, dancing to their smash hit “Hey Ya!” Shumpert wore a green suit reminiscent of Andre 3000’s in the “Hey Ya!” video and surprised fans with impressive dancing skills. His and Daniella’s scores, however, were less impressive.
The pair received a 7, a 4, and two 5s on opening night, but have progressively been scoring better and better as time has gone on. And last night, dacning to “I Got 5 On It,” by Luniz, Shumpert and Daniella put up a perfect scoring, going 40/40 with 10s across the board.
Shumpert’s former teammate, LeBron James, took notice.
Tweeting, “Man my G @imanshumpert in his f’n (bag)!!!!!!!! LFG. Don’t even try to front, just respect the conglomerate,” James added ten fire emojis and let each of his 50.2 million followers how thrilled he was by Shumpert’s insane dance routine.
Operating in a semi-robotic, trance-like manner, Shumpert and Daniella shut the DWTS stage down. Incorporating flips, spins and Shumpert’s elite athleticism, the pair delivered a spooky-but-silky routine perfect for Week 6’s Horror Night theme. Ending the routine with an ominous stare through the judges’ souls, Shumpert flashed a huge smile as he finally broke character, and the pair was rewarded with a rare perfect score.
LeBron loved it, and so did the judges, but what about you? Let us know what you think about Shumpert’s dance routine down in the comments.