As the son of an NBA celebrity, he inherited excellent athletic genes, coupled with his explosive physical fitness, which should have made a big difference in basketball.
Unfortunately, he has been battling illness all his life, suffering from Crohn's disease in high school, suffering a torn cruciate ligament in college, and finally entering the NBA.
He is Larry Nance Jr., and to this day he is still on medication to maintain his illness, because his love of basketball allows him to run hard and continue to chase his dreams.
Nance Jr. was born on January 1, 1993 in Akron, Ohio, USA, to a father Larry Nance who was an NBA star player when he was young and the winner of the first Slam Dunk Contest.
When he was a child, he fell in love with basketball at first sight, and he also inherited excellent sports genes and was inspired to make it to the NBA. With the help of his father, he began to receive systematic basketball training from an early age and showed a super high basketball IQ.
Coupled with his excellent static talent, he quickly became the best of his age after a period of training, and Nance Jr.'s basketball path was bright.
However, fate always likes to play tricks on people, and in his freshman year of high school, he began to have non-stop diarrhea, couldn't eat, and his body lost weight every day at a rate visible to the naked eye. I went to the hospital for a check-up and was told that I had Crohn's disease, a serious illness that could ruin the career of an athlete, not to mention that Nance Jr. was only 15 years old.
The doctor advised him that it was better not to play again, which was like a bolt from the blue for Nance Jr., during which he suffered a double blow both physically and mentally, and at one point wanted to give up basketball.
Fortunately, with the comfort of his father, Nance Jr. recognized the facts and began to regain his fighting spirit. In order not to leave regrets, he began to actively cooperate with the doctors**, and his condition was slowly controlled.
He worked harder to get back on the field, and only he knows how much sweat he put into training and how many difficulties he went through. In his senior season, he averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, helping the team achieve an excellent record and being selected to the All-NBA team with his outstanding performance.
After entering college, Nance Jr. has grown every year, and after two years of precipitation, he became the core of the team in his junior year. He averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game, and was selected for the best team and best defensive team in the region, attracting the attention of many scouts.
His senior season was his best year, averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals per game, helping the team reach the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2002, and was named the best defensive player in the region for his outstanding defense.
After graduating from college, Nance Jr. competed in the 2015 Draft and was drafted by the Lakers with the 27th pick in the first round to start his career.
In his rookie season, Nance Jr. played a blue-collar role on the team and had a good performance on the defensive end. With the opening of the small-ball era, with his excellent basketball IQ, he slowly practiced his three-point shooting ability and successfully completed the transformation.
After being traded by the Lakers to the Cavaliers, Nance Jr. played more and more playing time, and played the best season of his career in 2019-20, averaging 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
But it's a pity that he has too many injuries, and the ** weight of the ** with Crohn's disease has lost 18 pounds, and the Cavaliers, who are in the rebuilding period, finally lost patience with him.
Now with the Pelicans, Nance Jr. has become a reliable firepower on the team's bench, and he does his best to play every game as if it were his last.
Although he has not been able to live up to his talent due to injury, it may be satisfying for him to be able to stand on the field all the time. Hopefully, in the future, Nance Jr. can stay away from injuries and play every game in good health.