‘DWTS’ is a completely different type of fame for former Knick Iman Shumpert

‘DWTS’ is a completely different type of fame for former Knick Iman Shumpert

Iman Shumpert said the fame from appearing on reality shows and being a basketball player is totally different.

Shumpert, the former Knicks and Nets guard, is competing in the finals of “Dancing With the Stars” on Monday night (8 p.m, ABC). He has also appeared in the E! reality series, “We Got Love Teyana & Iman,” with his wife, singer Teyana Taylor, and their daughters, Junie and Rue.

Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach on Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach on “Dancing With the Stars”.ABC via Getty Images

“I don’t think basketball is fame,” Shumpert told the Post. “Basketball is more — I don’t know how to explain it. One fan cares about your wife, and another fan doesn’t. The other fan just cares if their team won. That’s the biggest difference for me.

“In basketball, it’s more so ‘Did you guys win? That determines if I like you till the next game’. With ‘Dancing With the Stars’ people fall in love with your story. They fall in love with you as a person, as an individual. I think ‘Dancing With the Stars’ has done a tremendous job of promoting me as a father and husband, and that’s one of the most relatable things in the world. The fame is more personal in this regard.”


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While the “Dancing With the Stars” audience sees the final product that Shumpert and his dance partner Daniella Karagach put together on Monday nights, the preparation hardly stops. Come Tuesday morning, they’re practicing again.

“We practice all week, Shumpert said. “That Tuesday morning, Daniella already has the choreo(graphy) for our next dance and we’re already practicing. It’s three-hour blocks at a time. I definitely respect the work more. Outside looking in, you’re like, ‘That’s cool, they dance. That’s fun‘. You get to be a part of the work and see how long it takes to nail some of this stuff, how hard it is to not only nail the choreo, but be on the same beat.”

Iman Shumpert playing for the Knicks in 2014.Iman Shumpert playing for the Knicks in 2014.NBAE via Getty Images

As he wraps up on “Dancing With the Stars,” Shumpert is looking forward to promoting his upcoming hip-hop album, “This Car Ain’t Stolen”. The first single on the record is a song called “Outside”.

“It’s one of those songs that’s promoting a good time and promoting enjoying coming out of the house, and people, and being social,” said Shumpert, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Knicks after being picked in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft.


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“We did have that stint for a long time where we were inside, due to COVID, and nobody was allowed to do anything. As we start getting things back to regular, we wanted to change that word from that feeling of ‘We’re outside, as in we’re outside to handle the altercation,’ and make sure that it’s about going outside and having a good time. Pulling up on a cookout. Enjoying your peers. It was a vibe when we heard the song.”


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To vote for Shumpert on “Dancing With the Stars,” viewers can text IMAN to 21523 up to 10 times after the show starts Monday night.