During the Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Larry Nance Jr. donned his father's No. 22 Phoenix Suns jersey and performed his iconic dunk from the 1984 contest. Not only was it a sweet dunk, but it was a great way for Nance Jr. to honor his father.
And as it turns out, Nance Jr. will soon be wearing his father's No. 22. Nance Jr. told the media before Thursday night's game against the Wizards that it will be the last time he wears No. 24. After Thursday's game, he'll be wearing No. 22, which the Cavaliers currently have hanging in the rafters. Via NBA.com/Cavs:
"I'll be wearing the No. 22 from here on out. My dad's jersey will get to stay retired in the rafters. I couldn't be happier with it. I'm thrilled. I've been wearing 22 for my whole life, and to get to wear it for the Cleveland Cavaliers is beyond a dream come true."
This is pretty dang neat. And it's especially cool to see how excited Nance Jr. is about getting to wear his dad's number.
For any Cavs fans who went ahead and bought a Nance Jr. jersey after the trade, there's good news. The team will allow fans to swap any No. 24 Nance Jr. jersey they have for the new No. 22 edition once they're in stock.
With Nance Jr.'s dunking ability and willingness to run the floor, it surely won't be long until he's making highlight reels in the Cavs No. 22 just like his dad did nearly three decades ago.
