When Iman Shumpert started his stint on Dancing with the Stars, he appeared to struggle to keep his form while dancing.
Shumpert is 6’5 and he is dancing with Daniella Karagach, who stands around 5’6″.
His scores are among the lowest on the show, but when he came out on Horror Night and did a contemporary dance in connection with the movie Us, he scored a Perfect 40.
It was a huge moment and Iman quickly became a fan favorite.
One person who is not surprised at his rise is his wife, Teyana Taylor.
Teyana Taylor talks Iman Shumpert on Dancing with the Stars
While Iman Shumpert is an NBA player, Teyana Taylor was a pop star who knows a bit about dancing.
Teyana said that Iman is always around when she was rehearsing.
“I’m not surprised because he’s always crashing my rehearsals,” Teyana told Hollywood Life. “He’s been on about 15 tours with me. He’s my DJ, he’s my backup dancer behind closed doors, you know? I think something like this was only right to happen. I’m super excited.”
Teyana also said that she encouraged Iman to do Dancing with the Stars when he got the call.
“He was excited! I think we love ripping out of our comfort zone and taking a stab at new things,” she said. “Never let yourself get plugged into one socket. Try and find as many sockets throughout the room as you can, so I think that’s what we do.”
The pop star also said that she always gives him advice when the themes are announced each week.
“I’m just trying to help him out once I know what the circumstances are.”
Iman Shumpert on DWTS so far this season
Iman Shumpert has been raising his average scores for two weeks now.
He currently sits at 29.3, which is worse than the previously eliminated The Miz and Mel C, but sits higher than Cody Rigsby, who is still in contention.
After his perfect 40 on Horror Night, he came out on Grease Night and danced the Paso Doble to Another One Bites the Dust. He scored a 32, which was tied with The Miz for the lowest score of the night.
He then scored two bonus points in the relay dance against The Miz and Cody Rigsby.
However, he got enough votes to keep him out of the bottom two.
For Janet Jackson Night next week, Iman will dance the cha-cha-cha to Rhythm Nation and then will be in a dance-off against Melora Hardin with a foxtrot to Again.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.