Larry Nance Jr. has made a positive impact for the Los Angeles Lakers since being inserted into head coach Byron Scott’s rotation. His defense and energy level have helped the team, and the Lakers look to have gotten a steal with the 27th overall pick at the 2015 NBA Draft.
Despite his strong play in limited minutes in the regular season, his biggest highlight remains his preseason dunk over Golden State Warriors center, Festus Ezeli. The dunk showed off Nance’s outstanding jumping ability and fans quickly began calling for him to be a part of the NBA’s Slam Dunk competition.
According to Bill Oram of the Orange County Register, Nance would be open to participating like his father:
Larry Nance Jr. was asked whether he’d like to participate in Slam Dunk contest like his dad. Said, “I think it would be cool at some point”
— Bill Oram (@billoram) November 18, 2015
His father, Larry Nance Sr., is of course best known for being a former Slam Dunk Contest champion in 1984, so following in his footsteps would be great to see. Nance would also be the first Laker to compete in the contest since Shannon Brown in 2010.
The only Laker to win the contest, of course, is Kobe Bryant who stole the show as a rookie in the 1997 contest with his between-the-legs dunk that brought the entire crowd to their feet.
Nance Jr. would have the capability to do the same thing if he is eventually chosen to participate in the contest. His combination of length and jumping ability would make him ideal and since Lakers fans probably won’t have many things to cheer for during All-Star Weekend, Nance taking part in the Slam Dunk Contest would be a welcome sight.