5 NBA players who were featured on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Dancing with the Stars is one of the most popular shows in the United States, and a few NBA players have been invited to participate in it.

The 32nd season of DWTS won't have any basketball players but athletes who have fared well in the competition. A total of 12 athletes have won the Mirrorball trophy, including one former Cleveland Cavaliers player.

The first athlete to win DWTS was Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith in Season 3. The first player from the NBA to participate was Portland Trail Blazers legend Clyde Drexler, who finished eighth in Season 4.

Season 32 of DWTS is set to start on Sept. 26, 2023, and fans can watch it on ABC and Disney+. Only one athlete was invited for the latest season, former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson, who last played for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2021 season.

---

---

NBA players on 'Dancing with the Stars'

There have only been eight NBA players who have participated on Dancing with the Stars since its premiere on Jun. 1, 2005. As mentioned earlier, Clyde Drexler was the first basketball player to appear in the competition in 2007. Drexler's partner was Elena Grinenko.

Metta Sandiford-Artest participated as an active player in 2011. His partner was Peta Murgatroyd, but they were the first duo to be voted off for Season 13. Another player who was voted off first was Charles Oakley in Season 29 with his parnter Emma Slater.

On that note, here's a look at the five other players who were on DWTS, including the only NBA player to win it.

---

---

#5 Lamar Odom

Odom was on his way to recovery and getting his life together in 2019 when he participated in Dancing with the Stars. The former Sixth Man of the Year almost passed away due to multiple strokes and heart attacks in 2015 following a cocaine addiction.

Odom participated on DWTS in Season 28, and his partner was Peta Murgatroyd. They were the third team eliminated and ended the competition eighth overall.

---

---

#4 Derek Fisher

It seems like being a former player for the LA Lakers is enough to qualify for Dancing with the Stars.

Derek Fisher, another former Laker, was in the competition in Season 25 with Sharna Burgess. However, just like teammate Lamar Odom, Fisher was eliminated third and finished in 11th place.

Fisher showed off his dance move for four weeks before being eliminated. He performed Salsa with Burgess on Week 1, followed by Foxtrot and Paso doble on Week 2. The duo danced Cha-cha-cha in the third week and was voted off after performing Jazz.

---

---

#3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of several participants in the special Season 26 (Ahtletes). It was surprising to see the LA Lakers legend dancing, as he was known for being an introvert for most of his playing career.

Abdul-Jabbar lasted just two weeks in the competition with partner Lindsay Arnold. They danced Cha-cha-cha to the tune of a Stevie Wonder song in Week 1 and performed Salsa in Week 2 when they were eliminated alongside WNBA player Arika Ogunbowale and her partner Gleb Savchenko.

---

---

#2 Rick Fox

Another former LA Laker, Rick Fox, was the second NBA player to participate in Dancing with the Stars in 2010. Fox became a staple in Hollywood after his career in the league ended in 2004. He turned into acting and had several roles on films and television shows.

On DWTS, Fox finished sixth on Season 11 with partner Cheryl Burke. They had a solid run in the competition, which was nothing great but nothing bad either. It was perfect until Week 7 when they performed a Quickstep on the show's 200th episode.

---

---

#1 Iman Shumpert

Shumpert became the first NBA player to win Dancing with the Stars on Season 30. He and his partner Daniella Karagach took home the Mirrorball Trophy after an amazing performance throughout the competition in 2021.

Shumpert and Karagach received two perfect scores in the two-round finale. They performed Cha-cha-cha and Foxtrot in their first dance before finishing off the competition with a freestyle to the tune of Missy Elliott's Lose Control.

---