Larry Nance Jr. was drafted 27th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft and went on to play 168 games in a Lakers uniform before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a blockbuster deal.
The deal not only sent Nance to a contender in the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he was sent to the place where his dad played 433 of his 920 career games. Since Nance Sr.’s No. 22 is retired by the Cavs, his son decided to roll with No. 24 instead.
However, that didn’t stop his father from reaching out to the team and asking them to unretired his number for his son.
Here’s what Nance Sr. said on Golic and Wingo:
“Well, it really wasn’t a conversation because as soon as he called me and let me now that he got traded here, I called the Cavs and said, ‘He can have the number. Please, give him the number.’ And I think he was calling, saying, ‘My dad deserves to keep that up there.'”
“But I got this summer. I’m gonna to just let him wear 24, and hopefully this summer I’m gonna to work on him all summer because I would be nothing prouder if he just had that number on his back. He’s wore it his whole career. Well, he had to wear No. 7 in L.A. But I would be proud if he wore it. I think he respects me, so we’re just going to have that conversation a lot this summer, and hopefully I can talk him into it.”
Nance Sr.’s No. 22 is one of seven numbers retired by the Cavs and it would be very interesting if they decided to give into his request and unretired his jersey number for Nance Jr. However, as weird as it would be, we would totally understand why they did it.
Nance Jr. is averaging 9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and one steal over his first two games as a member of the Cavaliers.
(H/T For The Win)
