Larry Nance Jr. facts for kids
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Nance with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021
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| No. 22 – Atlanta Hawks | |
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| Center / power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 1, 1993 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| High school | Revere (Richfield, Ohio) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Wyoming (2011–2015) |
| NBA Draft | 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 27th overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Pro career | 2015–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2018 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2018–2021 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2021–2022 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2022–2024 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2024–present | Atlanta Hawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Larry Donnell Nance Jr. was born on January 1, 1993. He is an American professional basketball player. Larry Nance Jr. plays for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He played college basketball for the Wyoming Cowboys. There, he was known as one of the best big players in the Mountain West Conference. He helped his team reach the NCAA Tournament in 2015, which was their first time since 2002.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked Larry Nance Jr. as the 27th player in the 2015 NBA draft. He joined the team as they were building a new roster with younger players. Later, in the 2017–18 season, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the Cavaliers, he made it to the 2018 NBA Finals. In 2021, he moved to the Portland Trail Blazers. Then, during the 2021–22 season, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Contents
Early Basketball Days
High School Years
Larry Nance Jr. went to Revere High School in Ohio. When he was a freshman, he was 5 feet 11 inches tall and played point guard. By his senior year, he had grown to 6 feet 7 inches.
As a senior, he was a star player for his high school team, the Minutemen. He scored about 18.2 points per game. He also grabbed 9.5 rebounds and blocked 3 shots per game.
College Career at Wyoming
Larry Nance Jr. played college basketball for four years at Wyoming. During his time there, he played in 123 games. On average, he scored 11.3 points per game. He also got 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
Professional Basketball Career
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (2015–2018)
2015–16 Season
On June 25, 2015, the Los Angeles Lakers chose Larry Nance Jr. as the 27th pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He signed his first contract with the Lakers on July 10.
He played his first NBA game on November 6, 2015, against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored 6 points and got 5 rebounds in a 104–98 win. On December 7, he started his first game for the Lakers. He replaced Julius Randle as the starting power forward.
On December 27, he achieved his first "double-double." This means he had at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in one game. He scored a season-high 17 points and got 11 rebounds. On January 1, 2016, he grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds. Two days later, he matched that with 14 rebounds and 15 points.
2016–17 Season
Larry Nance Jr. started the 2016–17 season on October 26, 2016. He had 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in a win against the Houston Rockets. On November 1, he got a season-high 6 steals.
On November 20, he scored a career-high 18 points. On December 14, he made an amazing dunk over Brook Lopez. Many news outlets called it one of the best dunks of the year. On December 25, he hurt his left knee and was out for about four weeks. He returned to play on January 22, 2017.
He matched his career-high of 18 points on February 3. He also had 11 rebounds and 4 assists in that game. On April 2, he grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds. On April 9, he had a season-high 6 assists, along with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
2017–18 Season
Larry Nance Jr. began the 2017–18 season on October 19, 2017. He had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. On November 3, he broke a bone in his left hand. He missed 11 games because of this injury.
He came back to play on November 27. On December 18, he made another incredible dunk. This time, it was over Kevin Durant. Many people said it was one of the best dunks of the year. Larry Nance Jr. played his last game as a Laker on February 6, 2018.
Moving to the Cleveland Cavaliers (2018–2021)
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On February 8, 2018, Larry Nance Jr. was traded to his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was traded along with Jordan Clarkson. At first, he wore jersey number 24. But on February 22, he switched to number 22. This was his father's retired jersey number, and the NBA allowed him to wear it.
On March 5, 2018, he had his best game yet for Cleveland. He scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. The Cavaliers won that game 112–90. Larry Nance Jr. helped the Cavaliers reach the 2018 NBA Finals. However, they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
On October 15, 2018, Nance signed a new contract with the Cavaliers for four years. On December 18, 2018, he scored 15 points and got a career-high 16 rebounds. He also made the first game-winning shot of his professional career. This shot gave the Cavaliers a 92–91 win. On January 8, 2019, he sprained his right knee and missed eight games. On February 8, he had a career-high 19 rebounds.
Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers (2021–2022)
On August 28, 2021, Larry Nance Jr. joined the Portland Trail Blazers. This happened in a trade deal involving three teams.
Time with the New Orleans Pelicans (2022–2024)
On February 8, 2022, Portland traded Larry Nance Jr. to the New Orleans Pelicans. He was traded with CJ McCollum and Tony Snell. Three days later, he had surgery on his right knee.
On October 1, 2022, Larry Nance Jr. signed a new contract with the Pelicans for two more years.
Joining the Atlanta Hawks (2024–Present)
On July 6, 2024, Larry Nance Jr. was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Several other players and draft picks were part of this trade.
Career Statistics
Here are Larry Nance Jr.'s basketball statistics from his career in the NBA and college. These tables show how well he played in different seasons.
NBA
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | L.A. Lakers | 63 | 22 | 20.1 | .527 | .100 | .681 | 5.0 | .7 | .9 | .4 | 5.5 |
| 2016–17 | L.A. Lakers | 63 | 7 | 22.9 | .526 | .278 | .738 | 5.9 | 1.5 | 1.3 | .6 | 7.1 |
| 2017–18 | L.A. Lakers | 42 | 17 | 21.9 | .601 | .250 | .632 | 6.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | .5 | 8.6 |
| Cleveland | 24 | 9 | 20.8 | .550 | .125 | .720 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | .8 | 8.9 | |
| 2018–19 | Cleveland | 67 | 30 | 26.8 | .520 | .337 | .716 | 8.2 | 3.2 | 1.5 | .6 | 9.4 |
| 2019–20 | Cleveland | 56 | 10 | 26.3 | .531 | .352 | .676 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .4 | 10.1 |
| 2020–21 | Cleveland | 35 | 27 | 31.2 | .471 | .360 | .612 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 1.7 | .5 | 9.3 |
| 2021–22 | Portland | 37 | 11 | 23.2 | .515 | .306 | .653 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .4 | 6.9 |
| New Orleans | 9 | 0 | 20.2 | .551 | .500 | 1.000 | 4.3 | .9 | .6 | .8 | 7.3 | |
| 2022–23 | New Orleans | 65 | 1 | 21.2 | .610 | .333 | .696 | 5.4 | 1.8 | .9 | .6 | 6.8 |
| 2023–24 | New Orleans | 61 | 0 | 19.9 | .573 | .415 | .770 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .3 | 5.7 |
| Career | 522 | 134 | 23.2 | .540 | .342 | .696 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 1.2 | .5 | 7.7 | |
Play-in
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | New Orleans | 2 | 0 | 19.1 | .778 | — | .000 | 12.0 | 2.0 | .5 | 1.0 | 7.0 |
| 2024 | New Orleans | 2 | 0 | 24.5 | .714 | .500 | .500 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 11.5 |
| Career | 4 | 0 | 21.8 | .739 | .500 | .333 | 10.0 | 3.0 | .8 | .5 | 9.3 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Cleveland | 20 | 0 | 15.4 | .683 | .000 | .452 | 4.5 | .9 | .8 | .7 | 4.8 |
| 2022 | New Orleans | 6 | 0 | 21.6 | .564 | .222 | .818 | 5.8 | 1.8 | .5 | .3 | 9.2 |
| 2024 | New Orleans | 4 | 0 | 21.1 | .588 | .250 | .667 | 8.3 | 1.8 | .5 | .0 | 6.3 |
| Career | 30 | 0 | 17.4 | .629 | .214 | .563 | 5.3 | 1.2 | .7 | .5 | 5.9 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Wyoming | 33 | 0 | 17.9 | .462 | .333 | .814 | 4.0 | .4 | .8 | .6 | 4.1 |
| 2012–13 | Wyoming | 33 | 33 | 32.0 | .533 | .345 | .750 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | .7 | 10.7 |
| 2013–14 | Wyoming | 26 | 26 | 34.7 | .544 | .243 | .758 | 8.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 15.4 |
| 2014–15 | Wyoming | 31 | 31 | 34.9 | .514 | .333 | .786 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 16.1 |
| Career | 123 | 90 | 29.5 | .521 | .308 | .771 | 6.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 11.3 | |
About Larry Nance Jr.'s Life
Family and Health
Larry Nance Jr. comes from a basketball family. His father, Larry Nance, was also a professional basketball player. Larry Nance Sr. played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns. He was an NBA All-Star three times. He also won the very first Slam Dunk Contest.
In 2018, Larry Nance Jr. took part in the Slam Dunk Contest. He came in second place. One of his dunks was a special tribute to his dad. He wore a retro Phoenix Suns uniform from 1984. He performed a "cradle dunk," just like his father did when he won the contest. Later, Larry Nance Sr. and Jr. teamed up for an alley-oop dunk. His dad threw the ball, and Larry Jr. slammed it into the hoop.
When Larry Nance Jr. was 16 years old, he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. This is a long-term health condition.
Larry Nance Jr. has an older sister named Casey. She also played basketball at Revere High School. She played for the NCAA Division I Dayton Flyers for four years. His younger brother, Pete, also played basketball at Revere High School. Pete played college basketball at Northwestern. In June 2022, Pete Nance moved to the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program.
Interests Outside Basketball
Outside of playing in the NBA, Larry Nance Jr. is a fan of the soccer club Leeds United. In 2023, he became a part-owner of the club. He is part of 49ers Enterprises, which is an investment group.
In 2018, Larry Nance Jr. married his longtime girlfriend, Hailey Pince.
See also
In Spanish: Larry Nance, Jr. para niños
- List of second-generation National Basketball Association players
