One of the more overlooked aspects of the deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers just before the trade deadline was the fact that Larry Nance Jr. was going to play for his hometown team. Nance Jr. called Akron, Ohio home because his father played for the Cavaliers from 1988 to 1994.
On Thursday, the Cavaliers revealed that Nance Jr. will wear his father's retired No. 22 jersey for the rest of the season.
But why should the nostalgia end there? Nance Jr. told reporters that the most unexpected part of his return to Ohio was the offer from his mom to live in her basement. "Trying to convince my mom that I’m not living at home," he admitted. "We’re out looking for rental properties and stuff like that, she's like, 'Oh, I've got, you know, our basement's pretty nice.' So that's probably been the toughest thing."
The difference between life in Los Angeles vs. Cleveland has probably been enough of a ordeal, but then you tack on the possibility of going back to your mom's basement? The heart can only take so much.