Some NBA players aren’t just only good at hooping. Dancing with the Stars is one of the most popular celebrity competition shows that brings current as well as former pro athletes to showcase their other talent. As the show rolled out the latest roster of participants for its season 33, another NBA name came out. The man is none other than Magic star, Dwight Howard. 

Over the past seasons, we have seen many of our favorite NBA stars shaking a leg on the competition show.

Dwight Howard appears determined to win

After taking his basketball skills to the international stage, the Magic star is back. This time on the dance floor. Leveling up his chances of winning, the NBA star has teamed up with one of the most talented choreographers in America, Daniella Karagach. She is also the winner of Season 30 of the show. 

Not only that, he is also summoning all his energy and focusing it on winning the show. Howard’s choreographer has shared several snaps and snippets of their rehearsals and photoshoots on Instagram. Dwight Howard isn’t entirely unfamiliar with dancing. Moreover, he has also previously appeared on the survival show Special Forces.

“I think I’m gonna go out there and just have as much fun as possible. I’ve been dancing my whole life, but not ballroom dancing,” Howard said to Good Morning America. “This is gonna be my first time doing it so I’m just gonna have as much fun as possible and I’m so thankful that I have this opportunity.”  

If once again Karagach manages to secure a win while having Dwight Howard by her side this time, the duo will be awarded with a $300,000 prize money. Now that we have looked at Howard’s participation, let’s see the other stars who have participated in this dance show.

Iman Shumpert is the first NBA player to win DWS

This is the second time for Karagach to team up with an NBA player. The first was Iman Shumpert. The duo beat fitness coach Cody Rigsby and his partner Cheryl Burke, Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten, and other celebrity duos to win the Mirrorball Trophy. 

“I felt like the whole season I was like telling Daniella, ‘Man, you just are great at what you do,’ and everybody was saying she didn’t have a Mirror Ball yet, so I’m really happy she got one now,” Shumpert said. 

It was kind of historic considering how there had been numerous NBA stars taking the challenge with no wins until 2020. This dance show is known to bring some of the biggest introvert athletes as well. Don’t believe us?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rocked his salsa along with partner Lindsay Arnold

Back in 2018, DWS delighted fans by featuring the 7’2″ NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The NBA legend’s father also loved to dance, which is where Abdul-Jabbar’s interest in dancing comes from. He said that dance has been a part of his family.

“Dance is a big deal in my family, and I hope if I do well enough my dad will be looking down and smiling about it,” he said. Before the New York Knicks star won the trophy, Abdul-Jabbar delighted audiences by becoming the first NBA player to receive the highest score on the dance show. 

Arnold and Abdul-Jabbar’s super-fun salsa dance received high praise from the four judges, earning them 26 points. While he may not have won the show, he certainly won the hearts of fans.

Other NBA stars such as Clyde Drexler, Metta World Peace, Lamar Odom, and many more notable NBA stars joined the dance show. 

Charles Oakley was eliminated after the first round 

The DWS competition was not much different from the NBA or business for Charles Oakley. Teaming up with Emma Slater, he delivered the most fascinating dance performance. However, despite their efforts, they were eliminated in the first round. 

The former Chicago Bulls star admitted to making a few mistakes in his initial performance, but his final routine was praised by both the audience and the judges. In the end, he was just happy to have had the chance to take the stage and showcase his best.

“It’s business. You go and put your effort and your heart into it, and sometimes like in a football game or a basketball game, you got to score a lot of points to win and we didn’t score no points. I’m just glad I had a chance to come on the show,” Oakley said.

With the best dance partner and great efforts, Dwight Howard surely has a chance to win this year. It remains to be seen whether he can become the second NBA player to win a Mirrorball Trophy.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.