On episode seven of the Between Bites podcast, Nina Compton and Larry Miller are joined by New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Larry Nance Jr.
Larry talks about becoming a part-owner of the Leeds United soccer club in England, his trade to New Orleans, and some of his first experiences with New Orleans food and culture.
Later, Larry talks about his most recent community effort to help tackle the critical issue of food insecurity in New Orleans.
Hello everyone, and welcome to season two, episode seven of Between Bites. I'm Larry Miller with Nina Compton. We're brought to you on the Pelicans Podcast Network by.
Caesar's New Orleans Today. What a tree, not one?
Larry to Larry, Ladies and gentlemen, we're joined by Larry Nance Junior Today.
Welcome guys, guys, thank you so much for having me on. Larry.
Of course, were you it might.
Be we'll see, we'll see.
Are you or was your dad a straight up Larry or you a Lawrence?
So my dad was a Larry, and I am a Larry me too.
There's someone as unfortunate as me out there.
And even better Lawrence, No Lawrence.
Double the double Larry's. And now well, we could not be happier that you are a New Orleans, part of the New Orleans community, part of the Pelicans.
Thank you a wonderful person.
And we're going to get into a little later on a really really important and cool initiative that you have going on to address some of the needs.
Of our fellow citizens.
But before that, you grew up the son of an NBA.
Basketball player, Yes, sir, how cool was that?
It was very cool?
Yeah, very cool.
I mean, you know, he he retired. He retired in ninety five. I was born in ninety three, so I didn't really I have no real recollection of him playing, but we have the old the VHS tapes and of his jersey retirement and he's holding me as a baby and stuff like that. So it's really cool being Larry Nance junior in Northeast Ohio. It's it's got a lot of perks, but also comes with some pressure.
Well you you've handled it pretty well, and that was going to be one of the things that did you. My dad was a banker. I never really wanted to grow up and be a banker. As you played sports as a as a child, did you naturally love basketball?
Oh no, really no, No, basketball is a learned love for me. Soccer. Soccer is my true passion still still is. I just got a little bit too big to play. It got a little bit too big a play, yea. They wanted me to play goalie, so I was yeah, I.
Said, is going to be the easily block it?
Exactly? Yeah, No, I I chose uh, you know, I get They tried to put me in gold and basketball ended up being the right choice.
That's amazing.
Well, the just enjoying playing soccer also led to a business venture of yours. Yes that, I'm not sure that Nina is going to love hearing this story. Nina went to uh secondary school in England.
Oh, she had her own football team.
Oh no, the rest of the world football soccer team.
I'm a Liverpool fan. That's ok.
Oh, you can look as long as it's not you know at Manchester United where you know where are United? Front on that?
Yes, you there's only one team in your life, right.
There's only one who is it? Leeds United.
He's a part owner of Leeds United.
Leeds United. Yes, it's yeah, it's truly. It's truly been a joy of my career thus far. And something that's I'm probably most most proud of is is is being involved in the soccer club. Obviously, I'm you know, it's been extremely passionate about it. I wake up in the mornings that when I was in LA four thirty in the morning and watched every Premier League match and all that type of stuff. So really like soccer is a true passion of mine and being involved with the Leeds United ownership has been a dream come true. It's been like, I'm just tickled at the thought of it.
But as a child, you I'm not a Leads United fan.
No, Honestly, as a child, I didn't watch soccer. I just played it. I just played it. I never really watched it. And then in college is when I started in playing the game of FIFA is when I really started like, oh I can I can watch Like I didn't realize I can watch it. I just thought it was like, oh, it's happening over there, like I'll learn about it eventually. But no, once I started watching it, it just exploded for me.
Yeah, it's definitely a fun atmosphere in the stadium and you know, the fans with the flags and the chants and the singing.
It's it's really something.
It's the greatest. It's the greatest. And I have not been to anfield yet, but it is on my bucket list to see. I would love to be in attendance to hear a good You'll never walk alone, Yes, would love to.
Yes, amazing.
Well, it's funny because you know, it's such a soccer is such an international game, and when we lived in Miami, it was you know, the World Cup would happen. You'd have people from you know, South Africa or f and so Italy or you know from Mexico or Brazil.
Everybody's competing to you know, win the cup.
But it was just funny seeing all these different cultures come together to watch the sports.
It really is beautiful. Yeah, I can't weigh twenty twenty six. It's over here, right, I think it's in the Northern America, so it should be a lot of fun.
It's an interesting schedule though, that you have Miami as a city. I think La somewhere in southern California, Mexico and Canada. That's going to be some healthy traveling. The speaking of traveling, there are different things in the world that happened. Nobody knows why you end up playing professionally. Back in Cleveland. You are, like you said, North North Ohio Royalty. Your family now with you doing a tour duty, your dad doing a tour duty with the Cavs, and you find out you're coming to New Orleans.
What was your first reaction.
Initial reaction. I'm not gonna lie to you. I was not excited. I was not excited about coming to New Orleans, mainly because you know it was home that I was leaving. And then at that point, the team wasn't that fantastic, you know that, it wasn't a great basketball situation. So for me at I had thought, at like twenty nine years old, getting traded to a team that I didn't know if I was really going to get to compete with was wasn't something that I was ecstatic about. But as soon as I got here and saw the talent in the locker room and the approach that Willie took, our head coach, Willie Green took, and the buy in and level of care that I think that's the most important thing, level of care that our front office has in the people, the human beings in the locker room, which is a huge thing for me. I'm all in. I've been all in. I'm going to be all in. Like I just I wasn't happy at first, But now that I'm here, I can't. I don't want to go anywhere. El I'm thrilled.
That's amazing.
So moving here, What was the first food memory that you had?
The first It is a tough one. It is a tough one. And so I lived. I lived a friend. The friend of the team obviously is the owner of weed Ats Okay, So that was like the first like I'm thinking, like, all right, I gotta try some local, like really like get into it. And I ordered this. I shouldn't. I shouldn't have done it, but I in season. I ordered this plate of it was macaroni with with gravy drizzled on top and a piece of fried catfish on top of that. When I tell you, it was one of the best things I've ever had. But oh oh, I just I was hurting for a few days afterwards. But that was the first thing I had when I when I first got here.
That's amazing.
It's I always tell people that the way that we cook here, it's it's very intentional. Everything is very well seasoned. We love our salt, we love our spices, and I, you know, whatever I travel and I taste something like we were done differently in Yorans because it's missing spice or salt or something.
And it does say a lot about the way that.
We cook here, the amounts of better.
Yeah, we definitely had the pandemic. Twenty pounds before the pandemic.
Oh yeah, no, if I would have been here, I would have been here during COVID Oh my goodness.
Yeah, it's and then kincakes.
You know, it's well, here's one of the unfortunate things about playing for the Pelicans and being in New Orleans is you're never here during Marti Garos season.
It's true.
Well, with the logistics of getting that many people into the arena, that would that would be tough.
That would be tough, tough.
I do have a goal, though, I guess that I would. I just really want a hangar dad. I haven't had.
The season.
Well, if I have like two days in between a game, I couldn't. You know, I don't know what it is. I just I just want to try.
I don't think anybody knows.
Really, I think it's it's varnish. I think that's the well yeah, actually, okay, that's fine. Just not during not the night before any important game.
Okay, Well, if you see me, you know, learn ants out. You know, didn't wake up this morning. That's why I had a hangar dad. As my faults are.
Or do we could just put ice tea in there.
That'll work too, as long as sleek.
Street. Now it's back to being a harmful hand grenading.
Yes, the uh, you know, we're very fortunate to live in this you know town with such a rich culinary history. But one of the things that we as well as you know, across the nation and the world, is how we're dealing with food deserts for different community these underserved communities in our cities or you know, throughout the country, and you have stepped up to.
Kind of do something about it. Could you tell us about that?
Of course, of course, you know it It originally started, you know in Cleveland over COVID. You know, I had started a program where I would wear different local businesses T shirts into games and raise money, you know, and sell auction off my jersey and you know give it to that local small, locally owned business to help them stay afloat during COVID. And so you know that that kind of got me, got me on the track of like, hey, I've got a pretty good platform here. You know, this is that we can do a lot of good just by just by using my name and what we do and the team that I played for and kind of you know, really tackle some community issues. And so you know, carried over last year with with I did the same thing involving the you know, the New Orleans Public Public schools when getting them some money. But this year I want to do something something really unique to New Orleans. And so it had started off originally I wanted to do something about lunch debt in public schools, and and fortunately, fortunately the public officials had you know, made a law that you know, abolished lunch debt, and that got rid of that, which course should have happened. But I still want to do something about about you know, this this place is the first thing I got here is man, these people are so nice, you know. I mean, while I'm in season, the weather's fantastic. I love it. And now it's a look cold, but you know, the weather's fantastic. And then you know the third thing, of course food. You know, there's places known for its food, and there's just so many people that don't have access to it. And so we started, you know, we started a program this year where I wanted to challenge local high school students in their own community to help me solve the issue of these food deserts, of these this food insecurity. And so we presented them the problem and gave them all these statistics with it. And you know, one of every four kids you know goes without meals and in New Orleans the second highest, the second highest rate of food and security in an entire country. And you know, just these different stats, these very pointed stats of like, hey, guys, you know, this is this is your community, this is you are the future of it. You know, I've got a platform for you. I've got some resources for you. You know, I got you know, time, energy and care. You know, let's let's put something together that's meaningful and will last. And so we presented them the issue and now we're you know, helping educate them on on the topic, and so eventually they'll formulate their ideas. We'll pick a winner, fund one and the winning group will also get scholarships to go.
To go to College's amazing.
Thank you, that is, thank you so much for doing that, because, excuse me, it is something we need to address, and it is food is something that we take for granted. You know, having a good nourishing meal is it's hard to get for some people. So it's very important that we start this at a very young age and talking about it. We don't talk about that stuff. Excuse me, we don't talk about that stuff very often.
And we don't you know, the I think the really beautiful part of this one is the kid. The kids, but they're you know, seniors, We're hearing their point of view on it, and they're going to have a much better real world interpretation of it. So it's I like that part of it that actually we're hearing that instead of just sitting here preaching about and.
Getting them involved.
Yeah, you know, because.
There's a lot. Like I said, I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I grew up you know, my dad playing the NBA. I was very fortunate. You know, I have a lot of memories over the dining room table and a lot of a lot of fond ones that and memories involving food and stuff like that. So for me, I don't know the issues in new or rights. But these kids, again we say kids, but these juniors and seniors in high school, they know them, they lived it, they're in it currently, and they're going to be the future of it. So that's that's kind of why I specifically targeted that group and want them to want their buy in, because hey, it's you guys that can fix it, you guys that can drive real chain.
Yeah, agreed.
So growing up as a as a child what was the common feast on like a Sunday evening with the family.
So and it's funny, we still do it. We still do it. So again. I live in Cleveland in the summertime, and my brother lives there, my sister lives there, my mom and dad are there. So but my favorite favorite meals, my dad would make these barbecue chicken thighs with corn, peas and and mashed potatoes, and he'd grill them and we would all just kind of sit outside and you know, go fishing, you know, fishing while he's doing that. And so for me, that was like whenever the weather was good, I just looked, man, I look forward to that.
Sounds good.
I am a sucker for mashed potatoes, like I love a good creamy mashed potatoes.
Oh yeah, for sure. And then you know we get in the habit of like mixing the corn the peas in the mashed potatoes, and oh yeah, just a good treat.
There was there.
Now you say you continue the tradition, Has anybody you need to children? Have any of the children step up to try and take over the grill from dad.
My little brother tries, he's he's will say he's in learning. It's he's in learning. He tries. He considered himself a girl master, but you know, not quite yet. He's still learning. But no, it you know in the summertime. You know, I've got a I've got a two and a half year old little girl now and another one on the way, and and I'm married, My sister's married, my brother's got a girlfriend. So now it's not just us. It's like twofold and fall there. So he'll try. But my dad's still My dad's still headman on the headman on the grill, for sure.
When was the first time you could beat your father out in the driveway or into gym whatever, one on one? So you've been swatted your whole life.
So I'm going to do the same thing with my kids. I'm going to do the same thing with my kids. I have never beaten my dad, really no, so as soon as I got like in high school, as soon as.
You're nice, also because I don't necessarily trust that you haven't been throwing the last couple of games you played.
But that's the thing though, in high school, the second I got really close, he never played again. He never played again. I'm retiring. I'm retiring on a win. And that's so I'm going to do the same thing. But until the same thing with my little brother. The second he gets real close, I'm just hanging up the shoes, hanging them up.
I'll have some good news for the little brother big time.
Yeah. So again in Cleveland, my dad played for the Calves, I played for the Calves, and now my little brother is currently on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster and I am just again, my whole family is just if it were a movie, I wouldn't even watch it because it sounds that it sounds that made up and fabricated. But three people from the same family and the same team and the team we all grew up rooting for. So it's just very very cool, and.
That is happy for him.
That is very very amazing to hear.
So if I had to go to Cleveland tomorrow, let's say for a weekend, what is going to spring?
Okay, we're gonna know, we're gonna go into summer time.
I recommend summer summer time because.
I don't do well with cold.
One of the things that you tell me, because I've never been to Cleveland, so the must do things when I go.
The must do things when you go. The first must do thing is you got whatever you think of it, whatever you've been told, you got to clear that out. Okay, because I understand Cleveland's, you know, the mistake by the lake. I know it's it's a whole mess, but it's actually not that bad. I truly love it. I would say the first thing is probably you got to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is smack dab right downtown Cleveland, and it is just really really cool, really really cool. That's the first thing I would say you got to do. A Second, they did a really good job with their waterfront, Lake Erie Waterfront, and so there's a there's a there's a nice beach with a park right above it that people go walking and swimming in. It's actually, you know, really uh Edgewater it's called it's just it's really uh, really beautiful, especially in the summertime. A lot of people out there with their dogs and kids. It's really cool. And then if I had to give you one more hmm, are you a water person?
I am?
Okay, all right, Well, I would say there's there's a there's a really healthy there's a really healthy like boating population okay in Cleveland, So there's you know, people that go out there and you know, drink all day and hang out and hang out in the sun, and it's it's a it's a really cool environment. Then at that night there's like a there's like a yacht club that everybody or boat club that everybody goes to and you can just kind of again hang out and have some fun and it's a good time.
I just had a flashback of the first time Larry and I went kayaking in Miami.
That was the last time we went.
The first and the last time we went. It was a beautiful lay. I'm like, las, go kayaking. We're going to go to this little island.
It's like money, moneyment island. So you had like a little picnic basket and wine and it.
Was a beautiful picnic.
But paddling back to the mainland, we were going against the currents.
Yeah, we were not talking, we were laughing, we were pissed off. We would just and he's looking at me.
It's like we're not even He's yelling at me.
He's like, are you padling? And I am. I'm trying a heck.
Of a workout. It's a heck of a workout.
So that was the first and last time that Laron would be in the water together. So we'll try it again motorized.
Motorized, much better, much better.
And if I had to eat one thing that is well known in Cleveland, like.
So interestingly enough, Cleveland is known for his parogies. All right, yeah, okay, I can't really tell you why, but we have a big Slovakian population in Cleveland. I think that might be why parogis are are a major deal. But it like, we do not play about our parois. We do not, and there's like a whole festival.
So I was gonna say, it's the gumbo of Cleveland.
That's exactly what it is. Yeah, that's exactly what it is.
And there will never be one best no gumbo.
Everybody's very personal, you know, Cooking is very It's very personal when when people do stuff, especially if you're making it at home. And I always tell people that I don't make gumbo in the restaurants because so many people make gumbo, and everybody's a judge.
Are you putting okra, are you putting seafood? Are you putting feeling?
It's everybody has their way of doing it, and I just prefer not to put myself in that position. So I don't make gumbo in the restaurants at home. Yes, behind closed doors, I can.
Delicious, Yeah, if you don't mind me asking, how do you make yours?
So I get the room of course, very dark okra and dewey chicken.
Okay, I'm an okre guy myself, so well.
I think the okra is growing up in the cariban. I used to hate okre because it was just the texture was not favorable. But having it in the gumbo, I think is great for me. It's I enjoyed.
I like that.
The ten years from now, when you're gonna have a lot of fun with two girls that age those ages, what is your life going to look.
Like ten years from now? I want to I'm still play. I have no desire to no desire. My knees are already mad at the idea. No ten years from now. Honestly, what I really what I really really want to do is I want to coach. I want to coach their soccer teams. That's what I want to do. Obviously. I want to be involved in Leeds United and hopefully you know, can move up some rungs there. But I just want to be a dad because that's what my dad. That's really what my dad did when he was done. I just want to be a dad, you know. I want to have my visor on the sidelines and khaki shorts and mistle and and coach soccer. I don't really want to do a whole lot of basketball, but I want to coach soccer. And if they pick up basketball, all help them along the way. But I'm not gonna be pushing them in that direction.
That's lovely, That is great.
Yeah, it's I've had plenty of excitement throughout my career and I've got, you know, years left, so I'm gonna have a lot of excitement there. But I think I'll be ready to just kind of like raise my kids.
You know, it's so important because it's something that stays with you for the rest of your life.
You know, it's spending this time with your family.
Is it's so so important because I'm very close with.
My family, so I definitely understand that.
Yeah, that's and it just it's it's so weird right now, like she's two and a half and and we're going on we're home for like three or four more days, and then we go on another ten eleven day road trip. And every time I come back from that road trip, she's saying and doing complete other things. It's just like how I just feel like I just missing it, Like I feel like I'm missing it. So that, you know, I'm just excited for whenever, whenever my shoes go up, Jersey's put away, I'll be really excited to not miss anymore.
That's that's that's a beautiful thing. So what's next for you for twenty twenty four?
What's next for me? Hopefully a lot a lot of wins, a lot of a lot of a lot of points in in the w column for basketball. But you know, for me, for me, I have another kid coming in April, another little girl coming in April.
What's name?
Uh, we are between a few still, we're between a few still. But my daughter's name is Mia. My two and a half yearlds me.
That's a beautiful name.
Thank you. I think so too. My wife picked it. So we're well, I guess that's on my list too.
I need to pick them up aprils around the corner.
It's coming close. It's it's but honestly, just more of the same. You know, I'm really excited about really excited about this food and security program. We have more more meetings up and to pick a winner and hear all the here all the responses and ideas. Again, really excited to hopefully take this team to the playoffs and do some of that. But yeah, honestly, my the highlight of every year for me is is those It really is like the Sundays says at home. Yeah, that's what I That's genuinely what I look forward to doing is is you know, just getting everybody at the house, letting my dad on the grill playing. You know, I'm my dad grills, I'm the DJ. I have the music and control of the music, right.
So what's what's what's in rotation? What's the music?
Well, this year it's going to change a little bit because for my birthday a few weeks ago, my wife got me a vinyl record player. So now I've got to get my my setup nice. But for me, it's it's very very what my dad raised us on, which is motown, Luther Commodorees, Al Green, I love it, Gap, you know Gap Band, Ohio players like just very very very motown type.
You can't go wrong with that. Yeah, it never gets old. It never gets old. We were in a taxi and the driver says he was playing Sam Cook and he says, Sam Cook is the best cook. I always remember that because he was just like so into it. But it was just music brings people together like food. And I think if you're setting the tone, the music has to be right, because that's how I think when I start my day, it's definitely music that sets the tone for that.
So no, I agree, I agree. Music is such a it's such a mood definer for me. If I wake up in the morning and sometimes I'll come in here and these guys, these these kids, these kids in the locker room are playing just songs. They just they really won't make me want to bash, and so like that will set that will set my mood for the rest of the day. But like i'm my ride to the gym, I try to have like a I have like a playlist. It's just called good Vibes and it's just like you know, some snow legra Licia keys, you know, very like calming, good rhythm music. And it it's hopefully that I try to you know, seep that in before the young kids get to their music.
Have you seen Frozen?
I have not seen Froze.
I was just wondering if you like.
I just realized that for the first time, you could kind of cheat and get ahead of the game, knowing that in the next like two to six years you're going to be pummeled with Frozen or it's equivalent.
That's true.
But man, what if you had the notes already?
You know what, I might. That's some good homework for me. That's some good homework for me. I might. I might, Or I'll order the record, the record start playing.
It for you.
Just know, Hey, Mia, this is in your future, you know.
Well. Larry, thank you very much for joining us today.
Of course, you've always been one of the greatest guys in the league and and just a good person as a citizen. Besides the fact that you're helping us get to the playoffs.
Thank you, thank you. I really appreciate you guys having me on.
Thank you very much.
And everybody look forward Larry's instagram that will have the announcements coming up of the winning uh the winning ideas as he and his foundation help address this issue of.
The deserts and food insecurity.
Thanks Larry, Thank you guys, thank you G