ABC Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach
“Dancing With the Stars” winner Iman Shumpert has revealed the huge role he played in his daughters’ births — he delivered them both, he told fellow season 30 contestant JoJo Siwa when she guest-hosted “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Read on to find out how it went and also how competitive his wife got as “Dancing With the Stars” aired.
Iman Said They Thought His Wife Was Having Braxton-Hicks Contractions… But She Was Not
During an appearance on “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” guest host JoJo Siwa prompted the NBA star to tell the story about delivering his daughters at home because she said he told the “Dancing With the Stars” cast on set one time and it blew them all away.
“I came back off the road and I came home, my wife was having some pains, she thought it was Braxton-Hicks … and that night I guess it wasn’t Braxton-Hicks, it was happening. She just yells out, ‘I think I see her head!'” said Iman, so he had to jump into action.
“I had to stop putting the baby bed together and the overnight bags, I had to stop and just … I got it done, though. I didn’t have to do much but catch, so don’t give me too much credit. I got great hands, great hands!” he said with a laugh.
That was Iman and Teyana’s first daughter, Junie, but they also delivered their second daughter, Rue, at home as well, though her home birth was planned.
“Now if I have another kid, I gotta have ’em in the bathroom. I’m hoping it’s a boy. I’m gonna have to because he gonna feel left out. Can’t be left out!” said Iman.
When asked what he’s up to now, Iman is preparing for the “Dancing With the Stars” tour, which he is joining on and off for about half of the dates.
But Iman is also just being a dad.
“I’m just dadding, man, that’s an every day job for me. I’m being a dad and I’m trying to say yes to other things. So much of my life I’ve cut out to just be like, ‘Yo, I’m waiting on the NBA’ … everything is athletic and now I’m just saying yes to other opportunities while I wait,” said the NBA free agent.
Iman Also Revealed His Wife’s Competitive Side
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JoJo and Iman got to talk about their time on “Dancing With the Stars” where they actually “became friends right away,” said JoJo, which Iman echoed by saying, “I appreciate genuine people that push their energy out and you was always one of the people on the show that constantly gave me energy.”
He also revealed that his wife was pretty chill about the show at first, but then her competitive side came out as the weeks went on.
“She didn’t put pressure on me early, it was a competition, she didn’t know how I was gonna [do]. Then as the weeks went on, it was like, ‘You gotta stop looking down.’ It was like, ‘You know what you gotta do, you see what the judges are doing, you gotta make the adjustment.’ She gets really competitive,” said Iman.
JoJo also teased him about his pre-show ritual, which apparently involved some very, very loud music.
“For me, my pre-game ritual is I kind of go into a basketball mode with it. I have to talk to my wife, I have to talk to my kids, once I get off that FaceTime, I just go in there and play a bunch of music that has nothing to do with the dance. I got a bookbag that happens to have a speaker built into it … I get into the music that I like and I sing it extremely loud,” said Iman.
“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it is renewed, it will return in September 2022.
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