Larry Nance Jr. pays tribute to father, former Suns player, in dunk contest
Feb 17, 2018, 8:37 PM | Updated: Feb 18, 2018, 12:13 pm
Larry Nance Jr. turns back the clock with a tribute to his dad in the 1st round!#VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/9zHwTt1nuW
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2018
Larry Nance Jr. made his first appearance in the NBA Dunk Contest a family affair, paying tribute to his father and former Phoenix Suns forward Larry Nance Sr.
Nance made his way onto the court ahead of his first dunk attempt, only to disappear behind a curtain.
After just a few moments, he emerged wearing the same style of Phoenix Suns uniform his father wore when he won the inaugural dunk contest in 1984.
With the elder Nance in attendance, the Cavaliers’ forward performed a cradle dunk, further paying tribute to his father.
Like father, like son.
Larry Nance Sr and Larry Nance Jr
Side by side – GIF version pic.twitter.com/jfpRJ5cjWX— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 18, 2018
The duo would team up later in the competition with the Elder Nance providing an assist for his son on a windmill dunk.
From Larry Nance to Larry Nance for a windmill! #VerizonDunk #NBAAllStar @Larrydn22 @WYO_MBB @Cavs #mwbb pic.twitter.com/QaD5xeVQld
— MW Men’s Basketball (@MW_MBB) February 18, 2018
Despite the creativity and tribute from Nance Jr., it wasn’t enough to award him the title like his father.
Utah Jazz rookie guard Donovan Mitchell was crowned champion of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2018. Mitchell’s array of dunks included tributes to former Jazz guard Darrell “Dr. Dunkenstein” Griffith and Vince Carter, who turned in a legendary dunk contest performance in winning the 2000 event in Oakland, Calif.
