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It's fair to say that most people were surprised when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Larry Nance, Jr. out of Wyoming with the 27th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. However surprised they were though, it was still not probably as shocked as Nance himself, as he detailed to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:
"I was just hoping to hear my name called at all," Nance told Basketball Insiders. "So to hear it called 27th overall by the Lakers, I was like, ‘Really? Really?!' I had a sense of disbelief because it was just so crazy. I mean, I was just fighting to hear my name called at all and now I'm picked in the first round by the best franchise in history? I couldn't have dreamt up a better scenario."
Nance did not stop there, outlining just how ecstatic he was to get a chance to play for the Lakers:
"My first impression was, ‘This is the Lakers. The Lakers! THE. LAKERS.' I couldn't get that out of my head," Nance said with a laugh. "I mean, it was just really cool. These guys are a part of my family now! I'm a part of their family! I'm a Laker! It was very surreal."
Nance sounds exactly like most Lakers fans would probably feel if the team drafted them, and it is cool to hear enthusiasm about joining the team with all of the talk in recent years about whether or not the Lakers losing has tarnished their brand.
The whole interview is worth checking out, as Nance also details everything from how he is getting used to his newfound fame, what he thinks of D'Angelo Russell, and how he plans to use his platform as a Laker and NBA player to raise awareness for Crohn's Disease, which he is diagnosed with. Give it a read.