The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Larry Nance Jr. from the Los Angeles Lakers just hours before this season’s trade deadline. Most hoops fans will remember his father, Larry Sr., a former Dunk Contest champion who played with the Cavs in the 1980’s and 90’s.
Nance Sr. was an important part of the Cavs’ success through those years. In fact, the team valued his service so much that they retired his jersey number. However, now that his son is playing for Cleveland, Sr. thought it would be nice to bring his jersey number out of retirement to keep it in the family, but Nance Jr. politely turned down the request.
“When your son got traded to the Cavs, he had the chance to potentially unretire your No. 22 and wear it but opted not to,” Mike Golic Jr. said to Nance Sr. in a interview for ESPN’s Golic and Wingo. “What was that conversation like, or was there one between you guys discussing that?”
“Well, it really wasn’t a conversation because as soon as he called me and let me know that he got traded to Cleveland, I called the Cavs and said ‘He can have the number. Please give him the number.'” Nance Sr. said in response. “And I think he was calling (the Cavs), saying my dad deserves to keep that (jersey) up there (in the rafters). But I’ve got this summer. I’m gonna just let him wear 24, and hopefully this summer — I’m gonna work on him all summer — I would be nothing prouder if he just had that number on his back because he’s wore it his whole career. I would be proud if he wore it. I think he respects me. So we’re just gonna have that conversation a lot this summer, and hopefully I can talk him into it.”
Nance Jr. has made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor since joining the Cavs. In fact, the Richfield, Ohio native racked up 13 points, nine rebounds (eight offensive), two assists, three blocks, and one steal in Tuesday night’s 120-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Whether or not Nance Jr. will choose to wear his father’s jersey number in the future remains to be seen, but it certainly sounds like a possibility.
Nance and the Cavs, now the third-ranked team in the Eastern Conference standings with a 34-22 overall record, will be back in action after this season’s All-Star break, as they’re scheduled to host the Washington Wizards on Feb. 22. Tip-off inside Quicken Loans Arena is set for 8:00 p.m. EST with TNT having live broadcast coverage.
