Ex-NBA star Larry Nance is enjoying NHRA drag racing in his retirement

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:01 p.m. ET

foxsports

Larry Nance never had a doubt about his life after 13 years of playing hoops in the NBA.

While his fellow NBA colleagues Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan took up golf, Nance took up drag racing.

"My dad was a mechanic, and I went to high school intending to learn how to be a mechanic," Nance admitted. "I was always into cars, and my cousin had a fast car, so naturally I gravitated towards spending time with him. To be honest, in high school, I was around cars more than I was basketball."

Nance, who attended McDuffie High School in Anderson, SC., went on to play college basketball at Clemson and was later drafted by the Phoenix Suns.

Little did Nance realize, a career which included 15,687 career points and 7,352 career rebounds, paved the way for the financial feasibility to drag race on a part-time professional platform.

"I never looked at it like I was playing basketball to be able to drag racing; playing ball was something I just did, and I enjoyed it so much I probably would have played for nothing," Nance admitted. "But in the end it all kind of worked out for me. To be honest, I never ever thought I would end up in the NBA."

Nance played the first part of his basketball career in Phoenix before a trade to Cleveland paired him with another auto enthusiast in Brad Daugherty.

"Oh yeah, we talked about cars but his path was clearly headed towards NASCAR," Nance said. "We had our cars, both classic Camaros, mine was a '67 and his a '69. We never raced because he knew he'd never beat me."

The one thing the teammates learned about the differences in stick and ball competition and motorsports is money trumps talent.

"You're so competitive in both that it's not even funny," said Nance. "With basketball, if you can play, you are in. But when it comes to racing, you can have all the talent in the world but if you don't have the sponsorship money, and can buy the best equipment, you'll be on the sidelines.

"What I loved about racing, is that it was really competitive just like on the court. You had to surround yourself with competitive people in racing to win just like basketball. I had my share of good teammates in both."

Nance made a name for himself early in his basketball career as the inaugural winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1984. He won his first drag race as a driver 12 years later while racing in the smaller IHRA before stepping up to NHRA competition shortly after. His race cars were appropriately nicknamed from his jersey, Catch 22 which was likely a better choice than his slam dunk nickname of "The High-Ayatolla of Slamola".

Nance will quickly attest slam dunking a basketball was much easier than slithering his 6-foot, 10-inch frame into a Pro Stock car.

"We are still trying to figure out how I did it," Nance said with a laugh. "The steering wheel was jacked up so high so my knees could clear it. The seat was so low to the ground if it hit a bump I felt it."

Nance is currently planning a limited return to racing locally around the Cleveland area with the same 1967 Camaro he once raced in Pro Modified. He does have visions beyond this car to race on the big stage of NHRA, but this will have to wait until the proper funding manifests itself.

"I was so happy for the fans to win this championship," Nance said, speaking of the recent NBA title won by the Cleveland Cavaliers. "They were the same fans who supported me in racing," Nance said. "Maybe since they won their title, I can have a bit of the same success and land a sponsor who would allow me to race full-time."

And for Nance, this would be a slam dunk scenario instead of a catch 22.

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Bobby Bennett is the Publisher/Editor of CompetitionPlus.com, a leading independent online drag racing magazine, since 1999. For the latest in dragster news worldwide, visit www.competitionplus.com or follow on Twitter @competitionplus