There have been many attempts, but Larry Nance Jr. is now over the moon. Co-owner of the Leeds football club, the interior of the Pelicans ended up finding a match for him in the county of Yorkshire, in the north of England.
For the Times-Picayune, he said he fell in love with the Leeds club from the first time he visited. The start of a great adventure which came to fruition with the purchase of all the shares in the club by the group of investors 49ers Enterprises.
“Over the past few years, I have had several opportunities to partner with different ownership groups. Each time, I went there to take a look. See the grounds. Meet people. I was walking around the city and stuff. That’s what I did and I didn’t feel a sense of home until I got to Leeds. The city felt a bit like home to me”he confided.
A giant of England still asleep
He, who grew up in Cleveland, found similar values within the English club and was seduced by its historical dimension, Leeds United being 104 years old!
“A sleeping giant” as Larry Nance Jr calls him, who had his last English championship title in 1992 with a certain Eric Cantona in his ranks, and who is just waiting to wake up.
“These are working-class, blue-collar people who have been very friendly and very helpful. For me, that was a determining factor in the decision-making process. On top of all that, Leeds is a huge club, with a rich history. The opportunity to wake a sleeping giant was too good to pass up.”
The club still played in the Premier League until the end of last season and was able to count on the aura of coach Marcelo Bielsa to boost its popularity around the world, between June 2018 and February 2022. But whether at the first national level or in the second division, the fervor around the club remains as important as ever, and this is also what convinced Larry Nance Jr.
“I have to be honest with you: This is not an insult to the NBA fans or the fans we have in America, but there is a real fervor for your team. This is another reason why I love this sport. They don’t just go to the games and talk about them online. They live it. They die for it. There are thousands of people on the waiting list for year-round subscriptions. They live and breathe Leeds United. That’s part of why I love this club. It’s a real atmosphere.”
Passion before business
Associated with TJ McConnell, Larry Nance Jr. is not the only basketball player to have invested in the world of professional “soccer”. LeBron James bought shares in the Liverpool club and others like James Harden (Houston Dynamo), Kevin Durant (Philadelphia Union) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Nashville SC) did the same on American soil, in Major League Soccer ( MLS).
Rather than seeing himself as a businessman, the Pelicans player sees himself more as an enthusiast, a fan with higher than average purchasing power and who takes the opportunity to treat himself.
“I am a fan who bought the club. I like the title of owner because I’m proud of it. But at the same time, I consider myself more of a very invested supporter”he concluded. “This is honestly one of my proudest accomplishments to date. I have been looking to own a football club for a long time. The opportunity presented itself and I felt it was the right one. I took my wife there to show her around. I will come back every chance I get. I will try to make it a second home.”
| Larry Nance, Jr. | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | LAL | 63 | 20 | 52.7 | 10.0 | 68.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 5.5 |
| 2016-17 | LAL | 63 | 23 | 52.6 | 27.8 | 73.8 | 1.9 | 4.0 | 5.9 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 7.1 |
| 2017-18 * | All Teams | 66 | 22 | 58.1 | 16.7 | 66.4 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 8.7 |
| 2017-18 * | LAL | 42 | 22 | 60.1 | 25.0 | 63.2 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 6.8 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 8.6 |
| 2017-18 * | KEY | 24 | 21 | 55.0 | 12.5 | 72.0 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 8.9 |
| 2018-19 | KEY | 67 | 27 | 52.0 | 33.7 | 71.6 | 2.5 | 5.7 | 8.2 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 9.4 |
| 2019-20 | KEY | 56 | 26 | 53.1 | 35.2 | 67.6 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 10.1 |
| 2020-21 | KEY | 35 | 31 | 47.1 | 36.0 | 61.2 | 1.5 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 9.3 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 46 | 23 | 52.2 | 32.9 | 70.2 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 7.0 |
| 2021-22 * | POR | 37 | 23 | 51.5 | 30.6 | 65.3 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 6.9 |
| 2021-22 * | NOP | 9 | 20 | 55.1 | 50.0 | 100.0 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 7.3 |
| 2022-23 | NOP | 65 | 21 | 61.0 | 33.3 | 69.6 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 6.8 |
| Total | 461 | 24 | 53.7 | 33.3 | 68.9 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 6.4 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 7.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
