Troy Bolton would be proud: Basketball player Iman Shumpert has won the latest season of Dancing With the Stars. This makes him the first former NBA player to ever take home the Mirrorball Trophy. Ahead of the finals, Shumpert told “Page Six†that he invited the pressure that comes with making history. The former Brooklyn Nets star also previously assured the crowd at Vulture Fest that he didn’t take any smack talk from other athletes, despite being called “twinkle toes.†All the celebrities who competed in season 30 reunited to perform an opening number to BTS’s “Dynamite†that featured Suni Lee cartwheeling across the floor in heels, but only four couples were left competing in the November 22 finale. Shumpert and his partner Daniella Karagach solidified their win with a cha-cha–foxtrot fusion and a footwork-heavy freestyle. They finished in front of booked ‘n’ busy JoJo Siwa and her partner Jenna Johnson, who represent the show’s first same-sex duo. The Talk host Amanda Kloots and her partner Alan Bersten took third place, leaving Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby and his partner Cheryl Burke to finish in fourth.
After his win, Shumpert was seen holding the coveted trophy, too stunned to speak. He later told People that he was dedicating the victory to his mother, who had come to support him every week with his father, but could not make it to the finale due to exposure to COVID-19. “I just can’t wait for my mom to actually get our hands on this trophy because this is a show that means a lot to her,†he said. “It really makes her smile to see people be more than an athlete, more than an entertainer. More than whatever their respective field is. She loves when people grow and people have progress.â€