Larry Nance Jr. on playing with Kobe Bryant: ‘All he asked of us was everything we had’

To remember the life of Kobe Bryant five years after his heartbreaking death, I spoke with Larry Nance Jr., who was a rookie during Bryant’s last season in the NBA.

Below are some fragments of the last episode of my podcast. To open our conversation, I joked with Larry about how he and Kobe “combined” to score 68 points in Kobe’s final game:

Larry: Look, the 60 was a good snack, but my eight was the food for which we all came. You sincerely know what a special night. Really. I mean, that was a very difficult year. We had so many young people there, we won 17 games. But the joy in people’s faces when they could see Kobe in person for what they realized, the last time is something that I will never forget. I have done some interesting things in my career, I hope to be able to do some more interesting things, but I cannot imagine what I could take the place of that 60 -point game. In terms of historical nights, I can’t imagine what I could take in that.

Kevin: What was the first thing in your mind when they were recruited by the Lakers and did you know that you would be a Kobe Bryant teammate?

Larry: That was the only guy you only knew, “I can’t bother this guy.” At that time, the previous generation of players was up to it, but since Kobe still had that mentality. Kg was still in the league. There were certain types with which you simply did not get. And the first thing, the first, the first, we were all as, according to, how do I put myself on the good side of this type? How do I stay? What do I have to do so that this guy doesn’t look at me? And I discovered it quite easy. All he asked us was all we had. That was all. And I can do that. Anyone can do that. No, he did not ask you to force a superstar. He did not ask you to make every shot. He only asked you what you have, I need everything. I need what you have. 100% of that. And that’s how I got to the court in my rookie year. It was like defense and playing harder than anyone. And I feel that we join the fact that every possession that we were only testing 100%.

Kevin: Was there ever a case that season in which you saw Kobe’s anger?

Larry: One of those games we went to 30 immediately. We never had a snack of the opportunity, as if it had ended. He did not play, but he was with us on the trip. And I will never forget it, like Byron Scott I was talking to us in the costume later and said: “Hello, this is the NBA. There are no easy nights like you are the easy night at this time. We are we. We are the easy night. You have to prepare for that. “

Scott then turned to Kobe and asked what he had to say for the team.

Larry: I was ready for my arm. At that time I was signed with Adidas. But there were some guys who were signed with Nike and wore Kobes. He says: “You, you, you, you,” and pointed to everyone with Kobes. “Take them out, put them in the trash, let them here. You are never using them again. “And it was a moment like” Haha fun. ” garbage should never be used again. “

Kevin: Poor Nick Young, huh?

Larry: Speaking of Nick Young, before the last game and after that game, Kobe was, it was simply incredible with us as teammates. As if signed, if you asked for something signed, he simply simply, “Of course, man, absolutely.” So there was a line of us after the game, we only had our things. We had our things. “Could you sign this for me? Can I get a photo? We are all fans at the end of the day. After me it was Nick Young, who markedly signed with Adidas. And I would use Kobes, I would use 8 of the 8. And that was the only time Nick said: “Hello man, can I make these firm?” And he gave him the crazy 8 and Kobe said: “Man, get them out of my sight”, and put them in the garbage himself. It was such a fun moment because Nick and he always had those round trip jokes. Nick also had a shirt, and Kobe signed it for him, but it was like a fun moment that this is the relationship of your boys, it is a joke without stopping.

Kevin: The first game that you played after his death were of yours, tears in your eyes, crying in the bank. What do you remember about that particular game, how difficult it was to play that game?

Larry: I am not an emotional person. I hate that is out there.

Kevin: Alright. There is nothing wrong with being vulnerable and feeling.

Larry: No, you’re right. I am simply not emotional, like, priest. When I found out, I didn’t cry, it was just a very solemn sensation that I had. But it hit me during the national anthem. We had a moment of silence and ate me. I had not cried to that point. It simply happened. I can’t tell you what happened in the game. I don’t know if we won or lost. I don’t mind. There was simply something bigger. When we played the next game at home, during the first half, I saw some boys doing it and used 24 for the first half. And I still have that shirt just because it meant something for me. I don’t even know how well I played. It doesn’t matter. It meant something for me. So that is to hang in my house.

Larry and I deepen our respective education seeing Bryant. Like many NBA fans, we both had our phases that we hate it before growing to love and admire it. Larry had a great story about it, among others that you can look either hear A in the Kevin O’Connor program.