Larry Nance Jr. Lets Loose On Champions League Broadcast
Larry Nance Jr. does not hide his allegiances.
The New Orleans Pelicans power forward was calling for riots when the NBA awards voters snubbed Herb Jones on the All-Defense ballots. He is also an unabashed Chelsea supporter but that did not stop the 10-year NBA veteran from joining the Men in Blazers broadcast of the Champions League semifinal between Manchester City and Real Madrid.
Called, "one of the greatest strikers in America in his imagination" by Rodger Bennet upon introduction, Nance Jr. joined the show with the game sitting at 1-0 to Manchester City. Wyoming and Dayton jerseys were prominently displayed in the background.
Nance Jr. said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA equivalent of Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid). Unfortunately, just like SGA's Oklahoma City Thunder, Vini. Jr. and his team are now out of the tournament following a 4-0 thrashing. The second goal from Bernardo Silva left Nance Jr. speechless.
It was a fun segment for fans of the Pelicans even if they are not into soccer. Still, fans and players are still questioning the NBA's decision to implement an in-season tournament. Nance Jr. believes everything rests on how the league sells the tournaments to the players.
“It’s got the ability to be very cool,” Nance Jr. explained recently. “It’s got the ability. It just has to be definitely done the right way and marketed to the players in the right away. With guys really trying to limit their regular-season usage, well, some of the better players in the league trying to limit their regular-season usage, marketing it as an opportunity for some of the younger teams and building teams to use it as almost a playoff experience is really, really cool and a really, really new way of looking at things.”
Nov 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) shoots the ball against Toronto Raptors forward Christian Koloko (35) during the first quarter at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
England's FA Cup is one of the most prestigious in trophies created while the Champions League winner is regarded as the best in the world. The US Open Cup has been around since 1913. This type of competition has proven successful in several formats across numerous sports.
The NBA is trying something different to try and bring new excitement and urgency throughout the entirety of the regular season schedule. Simply, if the in-season tournament gets more stars to play it is a success from a fan perspective. If it makes money through increased interest and viewers, the league and broadcast partners will be satisfied.
We can wait until the games tip-off to get feedback from the players. Larry Nance Jr. sure will not hold back if he thinks the gimmick has gone too far.
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