Dancing with the stars pro Daniella Karagach and her partner from season 33, Dwight Howardhave some differences to overcome this season — height differences, that is.

Karagach, 31, is 5-foot-3, while Howard, 38, is a staggering 6-foot-10. With more than 1.5 feet between them, the duo had some challenges as they rehearsed for their first dance of the competition.

“We started rehearsing late and I had the choreography already planned out. And when we first got into the studio to actually start rehearsing, I realized I had to pretty much re-do my entire choreography because I couldn’t make it around (him),” Karagach told us exclusively. We weekly after the premiere on Tuesday, September 17. “He was so tall, I couldn’t get around him. … So I had to change just about everything. It was crazy.”

Howard is not the first basketball player Karagach has entered the ballroom with. She won her first mirrorball trophy together with NBA alumnus Iman Shumpert during season 30 of DWTS in 2021. Karagach told Us that her success with the 1.95 meter tall Shumpert (34) does not mean that she feels the pressure to win again with Howard.

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“(They’re) two different people,” she explained. “First of all, this guy is much taller. So, it’s a completely different challenge, but he’s a completely different person. So, no expectations.”

Although Karagach doesn’t expect to win because she’s paired with an athlete, she and Howard impressed the judges during their first dance of the season, a salsa to “This Is How We Do It” by Montell JordanThe duo achieved the second highest score of the night after Chandler Kinney And Brandon Armstrong and were one of two couples to receive an eight.

“It’s like watching a giraffe and a gazelle dance together,” said the judge Derek Hough he joked after the performance.

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Howard said Us that it was “rewarding” to see his and Karagach’s hard work reflected in their scores, but you won’t see him resting on his laurels.

“This is a great opportunity for us to celebrate and say, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do every week to win and keep moving forward,'” he said. “We don’t want to get stuck in it. We want to keep moving. Celebrate tonight and tomorrow, it’s time to work.”

No one would question Howard’s work ethic when looking at his NBA resume, which includes a championship win and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He currently plays for the Taiwan Mustangs of the Asian Tournament, but has previously lent his talents to the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.

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Howard said Us that practice for DWTS is in some ways “similar” to basketball training, but he noted that dancing “requires a lot more muscles.”

“It’s a lot of repetition, but it’s also a lot of fun. Every little step (of) the routine, you’re trying to achieve perfection,” he said, before praising Karagach. “When she does it, it’s perfect. Every little pose, it’s perfect. Down to her fingernails, they’re perfect. It’s just crazy to watch. I love it.”

Dancing with the stars will air simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream the episodes the following day on Disney+.

With reporting by Carly Konsker