Iman Shumpert (Part 2)

You're listening to Jogasuan Now with me Jojo Sea, an iHeartRadio podcast. Everybody, welcome back to Joshuan Now I am here with Iman Shumper. It is part two of our chat and man, welcome to Josh Hero Now. You've been here. You've already done part one, but now we're on part two. Are you ready?

Yeah?

When you so so you you you become a big wig in this league, right, Is it a big deal if you're late to a practice?

If you're late to that's what I'm saying.

It's I mean, now if you make it an issue. Yeah, like if you just late all the time. But it's like if you late sometimes your coach won't even say nothing.

You just walk in.

Nobody says anything but say you was late and we needed to do something, Like they may put somebody in your spot. If you were starting and you're not there to be getting a shoot around. The coach may be like, yep, next guy up, yep.

Yeah.

He may you know, it may bother him a little bit, but he's not gonna react or change temperature of the team because we have a goal, like we're going to win, Like we're not trying to veer over just because you was late today. Now we're gonna focus on you and talk about that. Now the energy ship, we're about to focus on war. We're going to war.

I think once you're in that position to you are smart enough to know don't be late to practice. And so if you're late to practice, you are going to be hard on your cell phone. And I'm already about it.

But when you when you're twenty one and you just get in the league, you are gonna try and like it's like talking to your dad early.

Yeah, I'm sitting.

Here like trying to explain myself and all a bunch of grown ass men just laughing at me, like look at this dude.

Like get out of here.

Really the first time.

They left a bill, they left me to pay like a five thousand dollars like tab at dinner. Yeah, I was like it was my first time seeing something like that.

I'm like, why y'all bought all it? Like, bro, we need to split. They was looking at me like split it, nah, No, Like bro, what's wrong with you?

Like it's just easier put your card on it.

But they was like, you really don't know that you have money? Like bro, Like you're not broke no more. Yeah, it's okay.

It's crazy.

They like put your card down. We did this on purpose so you could learn that you're not a little kid no more bro pay for them, like look at your account like they was like grow up, Like we're good now you got it. Stop doing the frugal weird shit.

It sounds like it really you become a family, Like.

Yeah, that was another thing.

I always had incredible teammates, like I've had some of the part of my favorite team.

It could be it could also be a middle school team like.

Nah, it's that twenty sixteen cash team we had. It was so many wild emotions and factors. Yeah, like that's the most family oriented feeling, like because family is like shit happens, you get into it, you argue, yep, you cry, you huggy, like watch movies together, like you laugh about random shit that goes on in life.

Like we was like that.

And I think especially because we had those long playoff hauls during the playoffs, like it's like having no school or something like it's weird. It's like lock in so tough, and it it's a it's a it's an energy that you can't describe like we've that twenty sixteen team. We actually were having issues and a lot of bickering and a lot of shit goes on, and then it's like playoffs hit, we hate them.

Yep.

It's like you all become a team in one time. It feels probably like siblings where it's like, don't fucking touch my phone charger, but you need a kidney?

I got you real talk. Yeah, that's it.

Yep, yep.

We was giving away kidneys. That's what we was giving away kidney's. That's the type of team we were.

Okay, now everybody kidney givers. I mean I shouldn't say everybody, but ninety eight percent of the world knows your your career, what you're known for, your your legit career stories, right, and I'm sure you've told you your playoff stories a billion times, your championship stories one hundred times, your your other famous player story one hundred times. But I want to hear just just the first thing that comes to

A I'd say that they saw me sleeping at the witch card at the gym.

You were sleeping at the gym.

Yeah, this was college, This was college.

I was in college.

Where did you go to college?

Georgia Tech?

Got it?

So I was in college and I used to get comfort in knowing I could play basketball all day.

Yeah, but it was.

Something about twenty four hours that meant a lot to me. Like I could wake up and can't sleep yep, but I could get to the gym and my card works all night. Yeah, And I could go in here.

And I could wash clothes and shoot free throws yeah, and play music at extreme extremely loud value and nobody bothered me.

Well you know about that. I'm gonna talk about that next. We're going to the stars in one second of this story that.

Yeah. The next morning, my assistant coaches came in and he was like, did.

You sleep Yeah, and I was like yeah. I was like yeah, my bad, Like you know what I'm saying. But I was like, yeah, I do that sometimes, my bad. And he was like what, Like yeah, he was like what's wrong with your Like what's wrong with your something wrong.

With your dorm?

Like they like concerned coaches, like, why would you be sleeping in the locker.

Room, bro?

Yeah, you got a whole the team's got apartments, like y'all should all be taking care of each other. What's wrong with your apartment that didn't get fixed? And I'm like nah, just.

I like yeah, I'm like, bro, I like being here.

Like it was just like like think about it.

They got these big ass couches because they know the players are large, so we got the players lounge that sitting there. We had comfortable ass couches. We had big screen TV that we watched film on. But of course I knew how to rig it and set up the video game to where we could get all the fucking streaming sets. So it was like I'm sitting in there having a good time. Like there was times my best friend that was in there, like Taco and I'll be in there, we.

Watch a movie, whatever you want.

It's a gatorade machine right here. We can get all the gatorade and water we want. We all athletes. It's clean towels, you feel me, showers back here.

It's just a luxury you hear me, Carleton right now? What are you talking about this locker room?

I'm like what Like I was, man, I was the couch. I was the couch guy. Sometimes I just fall asleep there and sometimes I would leave the club and I just take everybody to the court. It's like where we're finna go. And I'm like, let's let's go to the gym. Y'all was talking ship like cool. I'm like in my club, closed shirt off, like playing basketball. Yeah, girls on the sideline, Like I'm like, this is like y'all get dressed up and come to games like that was my science behind it,

Yep, So I'm a twenty four hour guy.

That's a good story. Got a fun path because.

You could see me sleep on your neighborhood couch.

Man.

As long as you gotta bring him back there, I'll be there.

I love it all right. We're jumping now. It is twenty twenty one, season thirty of Dancing with the Stars. You get the phone call or the email. Were you into doing Dance with the Stars right away or were you a little hesitant?

No, I didn't. I wasn't. I wasn't gonna do it. I'm very at that time.

I was still like working out, just being like man waiting on the NBA call, Like, you know what I'm saying, They gonna probably call me late in the season whatever. They either gonna do that or they gonna call me right you know what I'm saying. A couple of weeks in after some people get hurt or whatever, I'm less like I'm waiting by my phone. I'm like, I ain't

She's like, it's dancing with the Stars. They want you to come on there. I'm like, yeah, calm down, Like whoa.

It's funny because I was just talking like yo, mom, be cool, Like I just joined I just joined this board of a charity, Dancers Against Cancer, And I was talking to the founder of it. His name is Rick, and we were joking around because we were like, if you really want a celebrity to do something, it's best to just go to the source, go straight to the

I'm like, oh man, So I called Ashley. I was like, I'll do it. Yeah, I ain't doing nothing that you how long? How long?

They say, yeah, I had to do it. Well, the obligation is this, and then if I keep winning. If you keep winning, then it's this. If you keep winning, then it's this. But it's officially over this day. I was like, oh, I'm in YEP. And in my mind, I was just like, I'm gonna have a good time. My mom's gonna come, We're gonna wear some cool outfits.

They're gonna vote me off.

What I was thinking when I first came there, and later I got on there and I'm like, me and DJ started hanging out, and I'm like, oh, I love this little lady. She was.

She's so funny.

And mine was partnered with Danny, who is I mean, she's so cool, cool a little bit. They were the funnest couple because how are you yours? He's six six and Danny is I mean maybe five two yeah, maybe, And so there's there's quite the height difference pushing the DJ and it just I remember the y'all's first week and I just was watching them and I was like, this is cute.

Like I like them, I like cool because DJ is like very.

It was like it's cool to be around somebody that's like, yeah, she's small, but she has the spunk.

And the is so on it.

She was like very yeah, she's very, very much, so able to take me actually when I'm about to veer off, because she knew sometimes like he's not a dancer, he's gonna check out, he's gonna start doing some random dance that has nothing to do with what we got going on, because like sometimes it'll be like that where I know the step, yep, but I've already messed up the step.

I'm not about to mess up the dance.

So I'm gonna do something smooth, and then DJ would stop me like listen, keep the smooth shit.

You have to get the step. We're getting scored on the step.

I remember, yeah, you keep just doing your own thing and it's cool, Like you think everybody at home can't notice, but they can notice.

What's crazy about Dancing with the Stars is like there's a lot of pressure, right, and there's a lot of pressure to do good and remember your step. And I remember I was put in a position where I was I was with another females with Jenna. She was my partner, and so I got put in the position of being the lead, being the male, and so when we would do lifts, it was me lifting Jen and I remember being like I will never drop this perfect fucking angel,

And she was very much so like yeah, throw me way up there, like yeah you.

Oh my god. Well, then I saw one. I was like, oh, dear god, this is this is going to be a rap like that, some shit's gonna happen. It's a rap and then during it was Halloween week. I saw it was not during the performance, but we do a full dress rehearsal during day. And I don't know if you remember this or not, but y'all did one of your lifts in Halloween week and and if you you she it was the one where you she went up on your shoulders right and you're supposed to let go, and

Like going on?

Like I remember thinking that because I.

Knew she three or four times though that uh we were on tour and DJ actually slipped. We've done like I remember one time she she went up, she slipped, I caught her here and she like does this. She did some roll or something and just like into the choreo.

Like you always had her.

Oh yeah, I don't never, she ain't never just going And.

Once I could see that you were never going to let her drop to the floor, I was like, oh, this is a good man.

Even the times that she's slipped and it's not you had it pisses me off, but it's like I'm not letting her.

Were always you were always very aware of her.

I'm a good I'm a good cheerleading base.

Yeah, you had your life the other bass.

Yes, had a tape on my hands and everything. But I got all that cheerleadership now, pat you see what I'm saying at the football game, and yeah, all that I got the I got that in me, y'all.

Would do when she would go, right, we're gonna learn this new lift, right, how how.

That's exactly what I would do, right as soon as she said, oh, I got another.

Left, like all right.

But like for me with Jenna, like the lifts for me were very hard. I had zero strength and smaller than me.

I think your lifts, uh, y'all had to be a little different with your grace, Like your lifts had to be graceful, beat.

And I didn't have to.

They were quick on yeah, like you had to get to the next thing too. Like a lot of my lifts were just like yeah, it was just like impressive.

Yeah, even hard for you to like pick her up.

I think the practice of it, Like if I had to do it freestyle, where it's like I just picked her up one time, Yeah, that'd be easy as hell. But it's like when you got to do rehearsal over it's like, yeah, you start to get tired.

But when we would be on the day, on the day, it was like always on it. I could pick you up and we could do it.

And people I get a lot of credit for the stuff that I'll do picking her up, but people don't realize like Danny's core strength and her ability.

To keep herself straight and makes it lighter. If they're like loose like that, it's like that's a different way work. Yeah, she gets herself to where she's an arrow. It's like moving a lamp yep, exactly. You don't feel like one of the craziest things arrow. Like if you go look at her when I picked her up off the she's solid, she is straight lines.

And she makes it easy, makes it easy.

It makes it look like I got some super ability. But I'm like, you're not noticing that she is planking right.

Now, Crazyanny, And I got my hands like literally I'm picking herup by hips.

I'm like I'm not controlling her.

I'm just picking up It's like picking up a board, picking up a two boy ful right now.

I remember just every week watching y'all and just loving it, and and you always had joy no matter what the dance was. Grace night. I remember y'all had.

Fun after a while, when I when when we start coming out the trailerst and we all start bothering.

You took. At first, I was gonna let I swear, I was gonna let.

Everybody stay serious and lock in yup.

And then then Mon brought his backpack with speakers in it, and.

You got crazy. It got crazy.

But then they all started, like people start requesting songs.

Fun Mon used to just have music blasting all the time at the time. He's always rapping, he's always doing his thing. His car would roll up, windows down, music blaring. He'd be in the parking lot jamming out. I remember there is one day I come into rehearsals right and you are. You're in the parking lot and you're jamming out, and I'm like, all right, he must be early. And I go up and Danny was like, where the fuck is mine? You're supposed to be here two hours ago.

Oh my god.

It was so funny that I remember you came up and she was like, she was like, we're not We're not.

Yeah, it was not dealing with you today. You're done, She's I always I always enjoyed that, that like being able to be in the back and getting able to being able to see people's like real personalities because I know we all have to like put on our professional what people want to see from us, and everything were miked up all day and we got cameras in our fice, but that those times that we have outfits switches and we're able to just really talk and chill and feel.

Like we got our hair down.

Like.

I appreciated those moments so much, which is why when we got on stage, I'm like, bro, y'all could vote me off today.

I've been having fun every day and I didn't.

I didn't know that I was going to have this mone I didn't come into this thinking, Oh, we're gonna have so much fun. I'm gonna meet so many people that I'm gonna want to hang out for real.

Like it's crazy.

We got tight with people that it's like, damn, I ain't think we'd have any common ground.

It's one of those shows too that like a mom and I we haven't seen each other since.

But I feel like I've been seeing you every day.

I saw yesterday. It's crazy.

It's a cool thing.

Yeah, it's a good thing.

The Dancing with the Stars thing is, especially when you buy in. It's like anything that you do with competition like that. After a while, it's like we all you all are doing it's that's the common ground. We're all doing the same thing. We're all trying to accomplish the same thing. And then after we leave from that, everybody's happy for each other in different fields.

Crazy no longer in competition. Yeah, that's the coolest part about.

It, exactly. And it's like everyone was just having fun everyone.

I'm a shoot.

I didn't have nothing but the ball on that show, nothing but the ball I was. I had a good time the whole time.

What it's about.

I loved my dance partner, she got baby Nikias.

Oh my god, it's so cute, so cute.

And posh, giving me extra extra help and lessons when even when he got eliminated, he was like, yeah, I'll help you work on Like I don't got a partner right now.

Yeah, might help you. Yeah, Like it.

Was cool man, even the you know, the producers that was involved, and even our pas that we had, and I'm like, bro, this is like the staff. Yeah, I had a good time. He was messing with the cameraman before the yeah, before at blocking it.

I'm like, there's this one cameraman. He's on what's called a steady camera. It's basically a backpack with a camera on it. It's super heavy, and like, we all have to learn to dance, but this man learned coreography for everyone's dances. He would run around with the camerad in the dance. But you can't be in the way, and then you can't be blocking the camera. I mean, this man had the hardest job on the show.

And he was he was great and he was awesome, Like he was light spirited, was.

So and he was so smart. He always knew his ship. He never messed up. All Right, we've kind of as we've been chatting, I do this thing. It's called it's called Past, Present and Future. And the reason why is because I one day it was like, oh, it's the PPP Past Present in future. Then I realized future spelled with an F not a P, and so I was like, all right, past present in future.

So we the PPPK from the PPPs.

It's just just was like, yeah, your past president future the PPP, and then I was like, fuck, that's PPF. But whatever, fine, So past president future you We've heard a lot about your past, We've heard a bit about your present just in talking. But what is what is your future? I know, I know you were in the music world. Now you got your podcast, Now give me, give me, give me a mon now, and what the next year of your life, five years of your life looks like?

I think it's just a lot of content. Yeah, I think.

I'm entering a part of my life. Whereas like I want to make cool shit for the world. Yeah, Like there's so much stuff that'd be like in my head. And I'm the biggest believer and if you have so much to say about it, do it yourself.

Yeah.

So I critique so much music that it's like, how dare I not make some music?

Un Let somebody critique me.

When's music dropping?

Oh well, I already dropped this car Stolen Deluxe, so we already dropped that.

It's just it. You're taking me a long time to do a lot of videos and stuff because it's hard.

It takes time.

Yeah, it just takes time.

And I'm not on a label, so it's like, I do my stuff myself. I may end up starting to shoot my own video like I did in college. I might just because I'm very hands on. But right now we're about to drop my artists, and then after that, I'm dropping the rest of the Center Sound, which is basically our label.

I'm dropping all the label mates. But you yeah, I think the next music and just content based period of commercials. I want to do voiceovers. I'm continuing to do the podcast and stay in the podcast space. It'll be.

Basketball, TV analysts, you know what I'm saying, a lot of stuff like that, but everything within the conversation of entertainment, everything with direct to consumer.

Yeah, type of relationship, you know.

Yeah, I love it. You're a good man of mine. I've met a lot of men, and I've met a lot of people. I've met a lot of celebrities. I haven't met a lot of basketball players, for what that's worth, haven't.

Actually probably met you probably have met him and just don't even.

A lot of a lot of basketball players. Kids are fans.

That's what I'm saying. You probably have met more NBA players than you know.

They probably have come there soccer fans soccer, Like, that's what's crazy, Like you kind of yeah, whether people want to know you or not is out.

It's out.

Like it's like, bro, I don't have to want to know Jojo, Like you can't. You can't sit here and be like, uh oh, I don't know. I don't listen to her music. It's like you don't have to like your kid, bro, stop acting unaware out here, Like, bro, I don't watch half the stuff they but I know Ryan's got a tour review but I don't watch it, but I know he got it.

That's like something that I always say to somebody when they're like what are you doing, I'm like, do you have like a girl, niece, nephew, Like do you have a daughter, a granddaughter? Like just ask them telling me about Jojo?

All good? Oh good, it'll be a nice little star for you. Wear it on your shirt. What is it nap time? After this nap time?

Yep, you got your head your you need none.

I feel like I'm going to bed in my daughter's room.

You're the best of mind. Thank you for being here. Thank you for doing my podcast. Thank you for being a friend, thank you for being you forbid when we're dancing with the stars. Thank you again.

I sinner, you're still I keep telling Jojo which guy I said? Dog?

I wasn't because I mean, I'm supposed to be doing that. I'm like, you you.

Would have you did it? I get you. I totally you didn't hold back. I did.

I had a good time.

But I'm saying the idea behind like if it was an actual dance competition, I'm like, bro, my my feet were not.

You won fair and square.

I'm gonna take the win. Yeah. I love winning.

What I'm saying, though, is I didn't know that you were that good at dancing. Like people they can they like I went through it, and I know now looking at people's footwork and people's balance.

People, it's crazy, the ability.

To tell a dancer from a non dancer by just looking at somebody.

Just the mechanics and the ability, like she just went from being a female for eight counts and then turned into.

The guy yeah for another eight.

I'm like seamlessly though, and I'm like that was cool to shape, even like the times that she played it. I mean, of course, like we know that the dancers on the show, by the way, the way.

They the way, they are so smart.

Like.

Explained to me how to do, so I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's like it's.

Just just take your feet and then you see how my feet Just that's so advanced, Like that's so not regular. That little eight step you just did DJ do the same thing, so wait you want to do that? And then wait, so we'll do that and then put a backstep.

Okay, oh and then do your arms, your head and.

Then they'll be like okay, do that and then we're gonna leave. Okay go and they do it, and I'll be like, bro, y'all didn't even like that wasn't a good enough explanation, DJA. But by week ten, we're all in there and they're like, yep, do this. Now take out the backstep, and we're like okay.

All right, got you. It's doing fun watching the new season right now, Like you just see people by week three improve it's crazy.

Then you see them have fun.

I love when people just have a good even if you don't, even if your dance you ain't that confidence in your dad. Just have fun to smile the fact that you're getting paid the dance right, enjoy it. Like I used to love seeing Olivia do the.

Cute she catch the camera.

Smile, whipping spiz.

And she just would care it's the camel and.

Just whipped the girls around so hard.

Djail used to be telling me that, like, no, you have to do that. I don't have any pockets. I'm like, I'm gonna pull your arm out. She's like, you're not pulling mom.

Yeah, she's crazy, Like as strong as you are, she's got that strength to like it.

Might be as strong as me. It's crazy, she's way less.

All right on, thank you so much for coming everybody, of course, follow him on along everywhere.

Yeah my handle is just at Emon Shepherd. Uh yeah, I am man. You can figure the last name.

Hell come right, he's got a blue check mark. Check out his music, check out his podcast or podcast with your Brother right.

Yeah, I got a podcast with Uninterrupted, my big brother Ariman amongst men. Yeah, we just talk about what it's like to be a man in today's world. You know what I'm saying, like how to walk through that and how that looks, the ups and downs of it everything. But it's a really cool podcast. We bring a lot of cool guests on there. And now that I did JoJo's I'm hoping Jojo will come on there. You know it's going amongst men. Tell me the day, Jojo is allowed.

Till me to day.

I got you, I got you.

Can we go set it over, you can talk.

About chicks on it. I'll right off and right in. Yeah, I know absolutely, I'll do your podcast. Tell me the day. Everyone when we do it, go there and check it out. And even if it's not me on it, just go check it out.

If you know where to find me if you need.

Me back, got you, brother, give your kids my love, I will. I love you. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you. Yeah.

What's my sign off?

Thing is really just like thanks for listening. We'll see you next week. Thanks, thank you so much for listening. Everybody. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Jojos would now podcast, be sure to write us a review and maybe if you're feeling to leave us five st I'll see you next week. M