Teyana Taylor & Iman Shumpert Are Relationship GOALS

Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor weren't looking for each other, but, serendipitously, they're some hard to miss.

It was 2011 when the precocious drafted NBA rookie and the dancer/model/singer/style muse archetypal crossed paths astatine a New York party. Taylor, who respective years anterior had been feted connected My Super Sweet Sixteen, needed a respite from her 7-inch Versace heels and was perched connected a railing erstwhile the 6-foot-5 Shumpert strolled implicit to accidental hello.

"He came up to maine and tried to speech to me, but I was successful a relationship, truthful I kinda like..." Taylor recalled connected Vlad TV successful 2014, miming not being super-responsive to her aboriginal husband's charms. She didn't springiness him the acold enarthrosis oregon anything, she clarified, but "he was turned up, everybody was turned up, and I was conscionable similar [shrug], 'OK, convey you.'"

After that, the Harlem-born artist would spot the New York Knicks defender astir and "this dude's ever truthful turned up, truthful outspoken, afloat of personality," she said fondly. But, "I was successful my concern truthful I ne'er paid nary mind, helium was conscionable cool."

"I had yet conscionable dealt with her person portion s--t," helium said with a laughter connected the Dec. 29, 2020, occurrence of Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles' Knuckleheads podcast. "Like, she had tried to friend-zone maine the full time, I wasn't going for it. After awhile, I was conscionable like, 'Alright, I don't attraction nary more.'" 

So helium played it cool, adjacent talking casually astir different women successful beforehand of her. But, helium concurred, a week aft that photograph shoot, she called him, came implicit and that was that.

"We been locked in" ever since, Shumpert reflected, fondly remembering each those home-cooked meals and however he'd travel location from wounded rehab to find Taylor and her girlfriends having a shot portion whipping up lasagna and tacos. The Chicago-area autochthonal loved however Taylor had a akin regular arsenic helium did: Do what you person to bash for enactment and past stitchery with your nearest and dearest.

They went nationalist arsenic a mates successful 2014 (Was it a coincidence that a January New York Times headline read "Shumpert Rediscovers His Shot, and His Smile"?) and they've been unneurotic ever since. Immediately the impossibly fashionable duo started providing endless oculus candy at music, manner and sporting events, Taylor releasing her debut album VII that November through Island Def Jam and Kanye "Ye" West's GOOD Music label.

Remembering the archetypal clip helium saw Taylor perform, Shumpert marveled precocious connected Power 106's Power Mornings how her fans helped forestall her from toppling over. The 5-foot-4 singer had been precariously lasting connected a obstruction to clasp court above the ground-level stage, and erstwhile "she was getting acceptable to suffer her balance," helium recalled, her information grabbed 1 limb and her fans grabbed the other, "and she didn't look down."

"I told her it was similar her Jesus infinitesimal a small bit," Shumpert said. "'Nobody's going to fto you drop, stumble, nothing, and they sang each connection with you.'"

Shumpert suggested in 2015 that the show Empire, astir an R&B euphony mogul and his power-mad family, had ripped disconnected some his and his partner's images, telling a newsman for Northeast Ohio Media Group, "They're utilizing my girl's character, her style, her look and she's not getting thing for it. They didn't adjacent alteration her name. [Singer Serayah played an creator named Tiana Brown.] They could person astatine slightest fto my miss audition for the portion alternatively of stealing her quality completely." 

"And travel on, man," helium continued, "they're truly utilizing a feline with a flat-top similar me. Come on. That's ridiculous. They ne'er called us. We were blindsided. We recovered retired by our household and fans erstwhile the amusement aired."

That September helium and Taylor revealed they were expecting their archetypal kid together, and during a royalty-themed babe ablution successful November astatine Cleveland's Museum of Contemporary Art, Shumpert proposed with a dazzling rose-shaped ruby engagement ring.

"Thank You @imanshumpert for putting the colour backmost successful my life! I emotion you truthful much," the bride-to-be shared connected Instagram.

She besides didn't truly caput each the absorption connected her body, oregon arsenic it was much popularly known, her "post-pregnancy body."

"It feels bully to cognize that you tin animate different women," she said. "I deliberation that's dope and it besides makes mothers astir the satellite consciousness large to cognize that it's possible. Even for mothers-to-be who are afraid. Females are motivated, and it's ever bully to spot different females that motivate us. Motivation is key, truthful I'm blessed that I tin beryllium motivational. I privation radical to know: Yes, mothers are superwomen. Literally. If it wasn't for mothers, we wouldn't beryllium present today. We get the chill points."

"I honestly don't consciousness similar 'Fade' would person had the aforesaid effect had I conscionable been 21, blistery body, single," the then-25-year-old told Paper. "It was much than conscionable dancing successful a sports bra and a thong."

"You tin beryllium superwoman," she added. "You tin person it all, that equilibrium successful your relationship, your household and your career. It's the other of the cliché that says kids volition dilatory you oregon your vocation down." And you are forgiven for forgetting that Shumpert and Junie some showed up successful "Fade," too, but Taylor credited West for recognizing and appreciating her young family's journey, saying, "I deliberation that gave him the thought of wanting to spot america each successful the video together."

She successful crook released a remix of West's "Champions" and walked successful his Yeezy Season 4 runway amusement connected Roosevelt Island during New York Fashion Week. And erstwhile she wasn't engaged modeling, Taylor and Shumpert were sitting beforehand enactment successful matching outfits.

"For me, a batch of stuff—dropping albums, tours —is successful the summertime and outpouring erstwhile his play is over," Taylor explained to Paper. "During wintertime time, I get to beryllium much connected his side, supporting him, and during the summertime helium supports me. So it's the cleanable balance."

She called Junie (who at this infinitesimal has 607,000 Instagram followers) their "good luck charm. She's conscionable been everything. From the infinitesimal I got large with her to the time she was born, it's been each positives, each greatness, each iconic."

Taylor and Shumpert softly wed connected Oct. 1, 2016, and pics from their peculiar day (which Taylor didn't stock for a month) showed the bride successful a reddish leather overgarment speechmaking "I do" connected the back, the groom successful a matching overgarment speechmaking "I do, too" and Junie successful a pint-size mentation that work "Oh!...Me too."

"Love is an emblem of eternity; it confounds each conception of time, it effaces each representation of a beginning, and each fearfulness connected an end..... #TimelessLove #My2FavPeople #Hitched #Adayiwillneverforget #TB," Taylor wrote.

"Now…when we bargain homes, we ever find a bath with large energy… but not successful a cardinal years would you beryllium capable to archer maine we'd present some of our daughters successful a bath without the assistance of a hospital! Our newest variation entered the satellite successful the h2o and came retired looking astir and acceptable to explore!"

The jock concluded, "A steadfast child. A small sister. Another daughter. Black emotion wins….again. Welcome babygirl…we emotion you!"

Just 3 months beforehand Taylor had released her 3rd workplace album, The Album, featuring appearances from Shumpert and Junie, arsenic good as all-star assists from Erykah Badu, Kehlani, Big Sean, Lauryn Hill, Future, Rick Ross, Quavo, and Missy Elliott. 

Injuries person hampered Shumpert's basketball career, which aft 3 years successful Cleveland included unmemorable stints with the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets. But though helium inactive considers himself an progressive subordinate (his past woody was a 10-day declaration with the Nets successful February), he has segued seamlessly into a antithetic benignant of spotlight. He and Taylor starred on E!'s We Got Love Teyana & Iman in 2021 (their archetypal play was connected VH1) and on Nov. 22, 2021, helium became the first-ever NBA subordinate to win Dancing With the Stars, claiming the mirror-ball trophy with spouse Daniella Karagach.

Talking astir the root of his ain moves, Shumpert said connected Power Mornings that helium utilized to benignant of mimic what helium saw connected the creation level astatine clubs—but that was thing similar his wife's uncanny artistry. "She could mimic anything," helium explained. "She could aftermath up, yawn and sing Adele's precocious notes."

He acknowledged that some helium and Taylor had amazed a fewer radical implicit the years with what they could do.

And erstwhile Shumpert was announced arsenic the victor of DWTS, his wife, who'd been connected circuit (hence her lack from the ballroom), cheered him connected virtually, writing, "THE LEVEL OF PROUD I AM IS TEWWWWWW MUCH TO EVEN PUT IN WORDS!!! WOW...congrats @imanshumpert @daniellakaragach one americium arrogant but NOT shocked!!!! YALL GOT THAT! AS YOU SHOULD! WELL DESERVED!! Thank you for trusting 1 another, believing successful 1 another, sidesplitting that s--t every week & astir importantly ft moving that mutha f--king reflector shot home!!!!!! PERIOD! Congrats guys!!!"

She had been engaged moving her process off, too, truthful overmuch truthful that she landed successful the ER suffering from utter exhaustion and reluctantly had to miss a amusement successful Connecticut after, arsenic she shared successful a Nov. 28, 2021, Instagram station showing her successful her infirmary bed, her assemblage "simply gave out."

"[Y'all] person seen maine with a breached ft and each types of different brainsick s--t but inactive got connected that signifier and bodied it..." Taylor wrote. "But honestly you person to perceive to your assemblage and cognize erstwhile to beryllium down; oregon it volition decidedly beryllium you down...mine sat my ass down successful the ER for definite but I've since got the due fluids and nutrients enactment backmost into my assemblage each night/morning & volition instrumentality the adjacent fewer disconnected days to proceed to recover."

The 32-year-old is besides successful the upcoming White Men Can't Jump remake and the play portion (as successful 29 A.D.) The Book of Clarence, and she turned heads Feb. 13 astatine LaQuan Smith's autumn 2023 amusement during NYFW.

Shumpert, 32, has had recurring roles connected Showtime's Twenties and The Chi, telling Salon Talks last summer, "Right present I'm conscionable successful much of an amusement portion of my life." But onscreen and off, helium noted, "I effort and bash everything with grace. I bash everything with intention, volition to beryllium successful."

In an effort for Ebony last year, helium and Taylor said their extremity was to physique generational wealth.

"We're young and what I respect astir Iman and my dynamic is that we empower and propulsion 1 different to beryllium amended versions of ourself each crossed the board," she wrote. "I emotion that our narration goes beyond conscionable support, we clasp each different accountable to beryllium greater. We are the illustration for our girls."

But adjacent though so overmuch of their emotion communicative has been connected show since the beginning, Shumpert and Taylor support plentifulness for themselves—and adjacent erstwhile the cameras are rolling, they don't effort to beryllium thing they're not.

Asked the concealed to maintaining a palmy narration successful the property of societal media, Taylor told Cam Newton connected BET's Sip 'n Smoke in April 2021 that you simply "manage it." She explained, "When you love someone, erstwhile you're really quality and you're not doing it for societal media oregon for what radical think, you unrecorded that."

"We person kids to raise, he's doing his thing, I'm doing my thing...I deliberation it's the cleanable balance. We don't get to spot each different much, but erstwhile we do see each other, it's always..."

Her small creation of excitement said it all.

Catch up connected afloat episodes of We Got Love Teyana & Iman here

(Originally published Dec. 4, 2021, astatine 5 a.m. PT)