Can Carmelo Anthony be the second NBA star ever to win it big at Dancing With the Stars? As most fans would know, Dwight Howard was one of the most recent NBA stars to appear on the reality show. Although he advanced to the quarterfinals of the show along with his dance partner Daniella Karagach, D12 could not make it to the further rounds of the show as he was eliminated. The 3x DPOY now believes Carmelo Anthony should give the show a try. The former Knicks star, however, has his own reservations.

The 7PM in Brooklyn and Dwight Howard recently shared a clip from Anthony’s podcast featuring D12. Their conversation kicked off with Howard’s experience on Dancing With the Stars. It didn’t take long before Howard turned the tables, suggesting that Anthony should give the show a shot.

“Nah. Never, boo boo down here bugging,” Anthony said, quickly shutting down the idea. But it wasn’t a matter of skill—far from it. He confidently claimed he could hold his own on the dance floor. “I could really go… Could dance… I got rhythm,” he added, making it clear that dancing wasn’t the issue.

So why wouldn’t Anthony ever consider joining Dancing With the Stars? The answer lay in his admiration for Howard’s timing. While he praised the big man for taking on the challenge, he admitted that it wouldn’t be the right move for him. “It ain’t no perfect time for me to get out there with. I’m not winning that. I’m not doing that,” Melo said, shutting down the possibility of his own ballroom stint.

But Howard had more TV challenges to pitch to Anthony. This time, he suggested Special Forces, a grueling reality series telecasted by the $20.86 Billion rich network that is Fox. The format of the show pushes celebrities to their physical and mental limits. Surprisingly, Melo seemed open to the idea—at first. “Something like that. I’m into yes…” he replied.

That was until Howard detailed what the show actually entailed. From jumping off helicopters backward into the ocean to being set on fire, his experiences painted a brutal picture. And that was where Carmelo Anthony drew the line.

“I’m not never going through that much pain in life… I meant to like that. Some of that is just too extreme for me… I like to be on solid ground,” Melo admitted on his podcast. Considering this, Dancing With the Stars could more likely be the ex-Knicks star’s forte. And if his claim that he got rhythm is true then maybe he could turn his co-host’s prediction true: be the next NBA star to win DWTS.

Who was the first NBA star to win DWTS?

This may surprise you but the winning choreographer was none other than Dwight Howard’s dancing partner this recent reason: Daniella Karagach. She led Iman Shumpert to victory in the 30th season of the show, making him the first basketball player to win Dancing With the Stars.

Shumpert and Karagch earned two perfect scores (40 out of 40) in the final. The first came with a cha cha and foxtrot fusion dance to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. They capped off their night with a medley of Missy Elliott’s hit “Lose Control” and “Bounce” by DJ Clent.

Singer and social media star JoJo Siwa and pro partner Jenna Johnson finished second. Actor Cody Rigsby and pro dancer Cheryle Burke were third. TV personality Amanda Kloots and her partner, Alan Bersten, finished fourth.

Considering this win for Iman came in 2021, it’s going to be nearly half a decade after the upcoming season that someone from the NBA lifted the trophy. Could Carmelo Anthony be the next one to break this dry spell and win the trophy along with the $295,000: the maximum amount the winners can make off the show, as reported by Variety in 2019? Well, there’s no doubt that fans would love this.