"Soooo f*****g fine": Fans react to Dwight Howard's salsa performance with dance partner Daniella Karagach
NBA champion Dwight Howard participated in the 33rd season of "Dancing With The Stars," performing a salsa with Daniella Karagach.
The duo danced to Montell Jordan's hit "This Is How We Do It,” with Dwight Howard wearing a tank top and black pants, while Karagach, an Emmy-nominated choreographer, donned a white fringe dress.
Their performance earned a 22/30 from the judges, including lighthearted moments like doing the famous "nae nae" move during the salsa. Fans on social media seemingly enjoyed the clip. One fan even commented on Howard's appearance during the dance, writing:
"Dwight you soooo f*****g fine 😍🥰😍🥰😍”
Fans commented on the height difference, as Dwight Howard is 6-foot-10, and Karagach is 5-foot-3, with one saying:
“Given the height difference, I’d say you crushed it!”
“For as tall as you are you did great,” another fan said.
“For the height difference it was really good,” added another.
One fan jokingly praised the "nae nae" move, saying:
"Hit the Nae Nae so 8.5/10. Not a bad first round.”
“You did great, big guy,” one said.
“Got to get a lil lower for her. You did well tho,” another fan added.
Dwight Howard explains joining Dancing With The Stars was for his son
After the performance, Dwight Howard shared that his motivation for joining the competition was to inspire his son, Trey.
When asked why he joined, the one-time NBA champion said:
"Really, for my son. He's here in the audience, Trey Howard. I always tell him that he can do all things through Christ. My son. Philippians 4:13, man, you can do anything you put your mind to."
Howard was partnered with Karagach, who had previously danced with NBA star Iman Shumpert during the 30th season of the show.
Karagach and Shumpert won that season, and to date, Shumpert is the only NBA player to have made it to the finals and win the competition.
According to Sports Illustrated, Karagach began her dance career with Pasha Pashkov in 2009 and has won seven United States 10-Dance and Latin Championships. Together, they represented the U.S. in the 2009 World Games.
Howard, an eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, had said when his participation in Dancing With The Stars was announced that he would trust Karagach and enjoy the experience.
"I'm definitely going to trust her, follow her lead and have a lot of fun," Howard said on GMA.
To succeed, Howard will need to outshine a lineup that includes fellow athlete and former NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola, Olympic medalists Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik and more.