'DWTS': Who is Teyana Taylor? NBA star Iman Shumpert's wife tells him 'better win'
NBA star Iman Shumpert will be one of the 15 contestants in Season 30 of 'Dancing with the Stars.' The former New York Knicks man will be the other athlete taking part in the show along with Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Sunisa Lee. Shumpert is currently a free agent after part of last season with the Brooklyn Nets. He appeared in only two games during the regular season even as the Nets made the playoffs.
The 31-year-old is a 10-year veteran who has also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, and Houston Rockets. He won an NBA title during the 2015-16 season when he was part of the Cavs outfit. And come September 20, he will look to get some of his off-court moves right in an attempt to win the reality dance show on ABC. Shumpert made headlines when he spoke to E! about his wife Teyana Taylor's reaction when she found out her husband was taking part in a reality series.
Taylor has been a star in her own right with an equally impressive CV that sees her as a singer, actress, dancer, choreographer, director, and model. The choreography aspect comes as good news for Shumpert who could use some moves to shake a leg and impress the judges. That's said, there's a lot more about Taylor and her skills.
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Who is Teyana Taylor?
Taylor is an accomplished singer whose debut solo titled 'VII', debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 after its release in 2014. The following year, she released an EP – 'The Cassette Tape 1994' – which paid a rich tribute to iconic ’90s chartbusters. She retired in 2020 stating he was retiring from the music industry saying she felt "overlooked".
She took to Instagram to share a detailed post about her retirement — “Wow, who did that? Y’all did that! Thank you. I ain’t gone front in times of feeling super underappreciated as an artist, receiving little to no real push from the “machine”, constantly getting the shorter end of the stick, being overlooked, I mean the list on and on lol... I’m retiring this chapter of my story with the comfort that I can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world!” The image for the post was her Spotify figures spanning close to 12 million followers.
She shot into the limelight in 2006 after being credited as the choreographer for Beyonce's hit single, 'Ring the Alarm'. She forayed into acting in 2010 starring in 'Stomp the Yard' sequel titled 'Stomp the Yard: Homecoming'. Shumpert and Taylor have been married since 2016 and share two children together, Iman Jr., 5, and Rue, 1.
Talking about her reaction when she heard Shumpert was heading off to the dance show, the star said: "Teyana laughed. She laughed but it quickly turned into her competitive spirit to say I better win." He also added that the couple have watched the show before.
"It's one of those things where we've seen it, we don't watch the show like we're not all sitting down glued to the TV watching the show. We've seen it and the times that she's seen it the way she critiques it she just feels like it's something I'd be able to win as long as I actually focus on the art form and dancing and not so much staying in my comfort zone. I'm looking to go outside my comfort zone a little bit."
'Dancing With the Stars' Season 30 premieres on September 20 on ABC.