Larry Nance Jr. didn’t have the typical draft night routine as most NBA players do. After the prospect from Akron, Ohio, was selected 27th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, he celebrated with his loved ones for a few minutes and then became embroiled in controversy due to tweets he sent out during his high school years. Those tweets happened to be direct insults to none other than Kobe Bryant, whom Nance poked fun at for being involved in a sexual-assault case that took place in Denver, Colorado.
Nance Jr. thought that he was instantly on Bryant’s bad side after that tweet made its rounds, but after exchanging messages with him for the first time, that wouldn’t have been further from the truth.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“From that point on, I worked hard and played hard, and that’s all he wanted. So, me and him, our relationship was great. He had a chance to squash my career before it started, and for me, he’s on my Mount Rushmore forever,”saidNance.
How Kobe responded
Nance Jr. said that this was obviously not the ideal way to have his first conversation with Bryant as teammates, but it was one that then-general manager Mitch Kupchak insisted that he do. Larry is grateful that he did it because he saw a side of Kobe that he really appreciated, and it motivated him to be a better rookie and teammate for him.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs for Kobe, he was on vacation when he received Larry’s text, hence the late reply. However, the Black Mamba admitted later on that he never took a single offense to the rookie’s tweet and even humored himself by making light of the situation.
"The kid figured it out himself," Bryant said. "He's a kid, man. He actually sent me a great message [Friday], which is really funny. I looked at it [the message], and it was like, 'This is when you know it's about time to hang these things up, when your teammate writes you, Hi, Mr. Bryant,’” he said.
"I was like, 'What the f—k?' But it was really nice and apologetic about what had happened. I said, 'Dude, listen. We've all said things and done things that we regret and wish we could take back. It's water under the bridge, man. Welcome to the team.' He writes back, 'Thank you, sir.'"
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA moment Nance Jr. won't forget
How many NBA players can say that their first text message with an all-time great teammate, such as Bryant’s caliber, was an apologetic one? Better yet, one that involved a superstar welcoming them to the team in the most unexpected way possible. The fact that Kobe didn’t hold a grudge towards Larry meant a lot to the latter as he entered training camp with nothing at the back of his mind.
If anything, Nance Jr. wanted to stay on Bryant's good side, and he did that by training and working hard, which he really appreciated. According to Larry, it was what they bonded over during his rookie year and how he earned his mentor’s respect. It was also the reason why the big man played a ton of minutes in his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRelated: "I'ma go out how I came in" - Larry Nance Jr. reveals Kobe Bryant's promise before his last NBA game
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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