LARAMIE — More than a decade after developing into one of the Mountain West Conference’s top players at the University of Wyoming, Larry Nance Jr. completed his 11th NBA season by returning to a familiar place.
Nance spent the 2025-26 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the franchise where he previously played from 2018-21 and the same organization where his father, Larry Nance Sr., became a franchise icon. Nance Sr. played seven seasons for Cleveland from 1987-94, earning First Team All-Defense honors and finishing 13th in NBA MVP voting during the 1988-89 season.
For Nance Jr., the season marked another chapter in a lengthy NBA career that began when the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the 27th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
The former Wyoming standout appeared in 35 games for Cleveland this season, averaging a career-low 12.8 minutes per game while contributing 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.2 blocks per contest. He started three games and never logged more than 25 minutes in a game.
While the numbers were the lowest of his career, Nance remained a respected veteran presence for a Cavaliers team that secured a playoff berth.
One of his most productive outings came in Cleveland’s regular-season finale against the Washington Wizards. With the Cavaliers resting several regulars after locking up their playoff position, Nance drew a start and matched his season highs with 10 points and six rebounds. He also added three assists and a block in 20 minutes during Cleveland’s 130-117 victory.
The performance was a reminder of the versatility that has defined much of Nance’s NBA career.
Although injuries have limited his availability in recent years, appearing in just 24 games with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2024-25 season before playing 35 games this year, Nance has carved out a long professional career built on defense, energy and athleticism.
His NBA journey has included plenty of memorable moments. Early in his career with the Lakers, he became part of a widely shared moment when Kobe Bryant took the rookie’s seat on the bench, leaving Nance sitting on the floor. Later, Nance followed in his father’s footsteps by competing in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, paying tribute to Larry Nance Sr., who won the NBA’s first official Slam Dunk Contest in 1984.
For Wyoming fans, however, Nance’s legacy was established long before he reached the NBA.
Nance played for the Cowboys from 2011-15 and appeared in 123 games. He finished his collegiate career averaging 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while developing into one of the most accomplished players in program history.
After averaging 4.1 points as a freshman and 10.7 points as a sophomore, Nance emerged as a star during his junior season. He averaged 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in February 2014. Even with the shortened season, he earned First Team All-Mountain West and Mountain West All-Defensive Team honors.
He returned for a standout senior season in 2014-15, averaging 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds while helping lead Wyoming to the Mountain West Tournament championship and at the time the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Nance earned First Team All-Mountain West honors for the second consecutive season and shared the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
By the end of his career in Laramie, Nance had become a 1,000-point scorer and ranked among Wyoming’s all-time leaders in defensive rebounds, steals and blocks.
His path to professional basketball was far from guaranteed. Nance has openly discussed living with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that affected his growth growing up. Despite those challenges, he reached the NBA and has used his platform to support others facing similar health battles through his Athletes vs. Crohn’s & Colitis foundation.
Nance has also maintained ties to Wyoming since leaving Laramie. He has supported Cowboy athletics and was in attendance when Wyoming opened a football season in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
As Nance enters free agency this offseason, his future remains uncertain. Whether he extends his NBA career or not, his impact on Wyoming basketball is secure.
From an overlooked recruit to a first-round draft pick, Mountain West champion and 11-year NBA veteran, Nance’s career has provided Cowboy fans with plenty of moments worth remembering.
