Cleveland Cavaliers high-flyer Larry Nance Jr. will be returning to his former home of Staples Center as a participant in the Verizon Slam Dunk contest on All-Star Saturday. Among the dunks that he will be displaying from his repertoire might be a two-man tandem with his father, Larry Nance Sr.
Michael Dwyer/The Associated Press
If only he would tell us.
One of the dunks that each participant should perform requires using a prop or a partner. Most select a teammate and sometimes a former teammate. In Nance’s case, he can opt to have his dad assist him in one of his dunks since he was a former NBA player.
Nance will be facing the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell, the Indiana Pacers’ Victor Oladipo, and the Dallas Mavericks’ Dennis Smith Jr.
In an interview with Ohio.com’s Marla Ridenour, Nance Jr. is not about to discuss who he has chosen to be his partner.
Even so, he says that his first and last dunks are already set but the middle two are still in the process of being finalized.
Just the thought of winning the dunk contest has Nance Jr. excited about potentially placing his dad’s championship trophy next to his.
“It’s fun to talk about, sit around the house with my fiancee,” Nance said. “Like, ‘How cool would it be, at home we have mine next to his, we’d be able to hold them up and take a picture?’ I’m just excited to get the opportunity to try.”
Nance Sr. won the inaugural edition of the dunk contest back in 1984. He was playing for the Phoenix Suns then, years before he would be traded to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Not one to be left out of his son’s dunk preparations, Nance Sr. gave him a few tips.
“Make the first one. I don’t want to be that guy that’s out there missing.”