NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of The 1990s
By Phil Watson
50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 38. Larry Nance
Larry Nance had come to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 1988, part of a trade that also brought Mike Sanders and a first-round pick in 1988 from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kevin Johnson, Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, first- and-second rounders in 1988 and a 1989 second-rounder.
Nance, a former NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion, still brought his consistent play at power forward into the new decade.
He was an All-Star in 1993 and was a two-time All-Defensive selection in the 1990s, as well.
Nance was fifth in the league in blocked shots in 1990-91 and fourth in 1991-92, finishing third in blocks per game in 1991-92, as well.
In the decade, Nance averaged 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game, shooting .528/3-for-19 /.803.
Slowed by a knee injury in 1993-94, Nance opted to retire in September of that year and spent some time with the Cavs as an assistant coach while also getting heavily into auto racing in retirement.
The father of recent Los Angeles Lakers’ draft pick Larry Nance Jr., the elder Nance was 19th in the 1990s with 818 blocked shots and 15th with a .528 field-goal percentage.
Nance is 17th in NBA history with 2,027 blocked shots, 16th with a .546 field-goal percentage and 18th with an average of 2.2 blocks per game.