NBA’s Larry Nance Jr. on his Leeds United ownership: ‘Tallest Leeds fan in the world’

The Old Peacock pub was packed with Leeds United supporters. The classic alehouse is a stone’s throw away from Leeds’ home ground, and on April 28, the fans were in a celebratory mood. It was two hours before the last home match of the season against Bristol City and the beer was flowing.

Leeds had earned promotion to the Premier League for the 2025-2026 season a week prior following a 6-0 win over Stoke City. After two years in the second division, a return to England’s top flight was an expected reward after Leeds’ 100-point campaign in the Championship.

Among the crowd at the Peacock that day, and easy to spot in his Leeds shirt and yellow bucket hat, was NBA power forward Larry Nance Jr. The 6-foot 8-inch, 10-year NBA veteran became a minority stakeholder of Leeds United in 2023, buying in through Leeds owner 49ers Enterprises. Since then, he has traveled to West Yorkshire whenever possible to take in the fervent atmosphere that is synonymous with the club.

“When everybody started getting off work it just filled up to the brim,” Nance told The Athletic. “It was nothing but Leeds fans in there singing and drinking and just having a great time.”

At first, Nance would go relatively unnoticed when he visited. “I could be anonymous, which was fun,” he said.

From the Peacock he made the short walk to Elland Road with a group of friends. With a yellow scarf in hand, he witnessed Leeds’ commanding 4-0 win over Bristol. For Nance, watching the team that he invested in play like a Premier League-caliber squad was a euphoric experience. A week later Leeds was crowned league champion after besting Burnley on goal differential on the last matchday of the season. Nance, though, felt that the stars had aligned for him to watch an emphatic Leeds victory in person.

“It was one of the best days of my life, ever,” Nance said. “I play basketball, but I love soccer. I love football. Outside of my wife and kids, football is the biggest part of who I am. This last time, the anonymity was over. I’m not Larry Nance the basketball player. I’m Larry Nance, the Leeds supporter.”

Asked what the beer of choice is at the Peacock, Nance laughed and said that he didn’t know. He has been unable to buy a beer at the well-known establishment, no matter how hard he tries.

“Every time I’ve gone to get in line to get a beer, I never get a beer. I’m just handed one,” Nance said. “Leeds fans love their team, so if we’re doing well, having a good season, they’re like, ‘We love this guy too.’ I don’t know. It’s some kind of lager, like a light ale, a Peroni or something in that realm. It’s in a cup and they hand it to me, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, thanks’.”

Nance’s enthusiasm for Leeds is evident, which is refreshing in an era when American ownership in English football, and celebrity stakes in clubs across the country, has become the norm. Billionaire owners of Premier League clubs or those who acquire Championship and other lower-division sides, for example, take control of those clubs and manage them like an extension of their business portfolio.

There are success stories. Wrexham FC, behind their Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have dramatically changed the club’s culture and fortunes. A minority owner has a much different role, albeit often a visible one due to the trend of high-profile athletes and celebrities who are investing.

In 2011, NBA icon LeBron James acquired a stake in Liverpool. Most recently, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, a Hall of Fame NBA player, joined Everton’s ownership group. Kidd followed NFL greats Tom Brady (Birmingham City) and J.J. Watt (Burnley) to England.

“It’s about being able to join a winner,” Kidd said in April via the Mavericks’ social media account. “I’m very lucky to have this opportunity to invest with (the Friedkin Group),”

Everton, though, hasn’t won a major trophy since 1995. The club will, however, unveil a new $1 billion stadium in August. Everton executive chairman Marc Watts referred to Kidd as “a respected leader” and mentioned the NBA great’s expertise in high performance as an asset. While that may be true, investing in English football is a lucrative business decision. Nance offered his own opinions on minority ownership and provided some insight into the perks that come with it.

“The biggest reason a lot of these guys are in it is because of the money,” Nance said. “The opportunity, the money is very real. But one thing we do have as Americans is we understand how to market, license and make money off of that. And that is one thing that I would say that football, especially European football as a whole, that’s where we shine. The Americans shine at generating revenue and generating all that type of stuff. It’s a great investment.”

One advantage of being an investor in Leeds is the access. Nance receives match tickets when he requests them, something that is considered a treasure within the Leeds community.

“We have 25,000 people on the season ticket waitlist,” Nance said. “It’s a nightmare. So yes, you get in.”

Nance is also given some behind-the-scenes information about footballing decisions.

“I know about all the stuff that’s potentially going on and (what players) we’re looking at. I get to know all that,” he added. “Some of the things are just obvious to me, but I guess I’ve never had to explain what actually comes with it.”

When Nance was announced as a minority owner, there was a report in the U.S. that suggested that he and another NBA player/Leeds investor, Indiana’s T.J. McConnell, would be entrusted with returning Leeds to the Premier League.

“That is not true,” Nance said unequivocally. “I’m a basketball player. It would be a disservice to Leeds United to think that I could make decisions and lead them back to the Premier League. I wouldn’t dare overstep my bounds like that. We probably are kept privy to things more than most, but it’s not like ‘Hey, Larry, we’re considering signing Manor Solomon from Tottenham. What do you think?’ My role is basically the tallest Leeds fan in the world. That’s my claim.”

But what about his investment?

“If I can be 100 percent honest with you, I hope I never see my investment in Leeds United ever again,” Nance said. “If it triples, if it doubles, if it quadruples, I hope I never see that money again. Which means I just get to stay with my chunk and be a part of this historic club that I’ve fallen in love with.”

Nance has a collection of football shirts that are part of his standard wardrobe. Some of his favorites are a vintage Brazil national team Pelé jersey and a 1986 version of Argentina’s away kit with Diego Maradona’s iconic No. 10 on the back. A Samuel Eto’o Cameroon national team jersey is a preferred choice, too.

Nance used to have an assortment of Premier League jerseys, but that changed in 2023.

“There are no other English clubs in my closet anymore. I won’t do that,” he said. “Some of the legends like Pelé, (Lionel) Messi, and Eto’o, they get to stay. But I won’t wear anything other than Leeds that’s English from here on out.”

Nance’s attraction to English football, he said, is aligned with his own personality as a hardened competitor. Nance joined the Atlanta Hawks as part of a multi-player trade in June of last year. His decade-long NBA career has included stints with the Lakers, the team that drafted him, his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland and New Orleans before arriving in Atlanta.

A versatile big man who is known for his high basketball IQ and blue-collar mentality, Nance missed the late portion of the NBA season after suffering a knee injury in February. The Hawks qualified for the play-in round as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, but Atlanta lost those games to the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat and failed to advance to the playoffs. Nance’s experience and rugged style of play were missed. He managed to make a bit of a fashion statement, though.

Nance throws down a dunk for the Atlanta Hawks. (Photo by Brett Davis/Imagn Images)

Nance was on the bench for both games. Against the Magic he wore a 2001 Robbie Keane Leeds jersey. Nance then appeared in a Lucas Radebe alternate Leeds kit against the Heat. The images made the rounds on social media, as Leeds fans exalted Nance’s sense of style. In the fashion-forward world of the NBA, Nance was happy to be an outlier.

“I’ve never been like a walk-in guy, you know. High fashion, that’s not my lane,” he said. “I wasn’t necessarily aware that it caught some attention, but it’s kind of cool that it did. I do take great pride in some of my football kits and that’s something that I’ll have to do more of next year. I’ve got an entire closet full.”

His acumen in Leeds history debunked the notion that athletes and celebrity minority owners aren’t truly engaged with the clubs they’ve invested in. Nance lauded Radebe’s contributions as a former Leeds captain and he made a point to clarify that Keane spent a brief period at Elland Road on loan from Inter Milan. Nance then casually mentioned former Leeds manager Don Revie when discussing Leeds’ yesteryears.

Nance also spoke highly of current Leeds manager Daniel Farke and praised the German’s “connection to the players.”

“Last year we didn’t go up and we’re one of the first teams ever to not go up from the Championship on 90 points,” Nance said. “(Farke) has earned the chance to show over the course of two seasons that ‘I’m the right guy for the job’.”

But mention Marcelo Bielsa to Nance and he reacts like a true Leeds supporter. Despite not yet being a Leeds investor during the Argentine’s two seasons at the club, Nance admired Bielsa’s style of play from afar.

“I adore Marcelo Bielsa,” he said. “A manager who got us promoted and then finished ninth in his next season? Please, please if you’ve got any years left we’d love you.”

On American Jesse Marsch’s tumultuous spell as Leeds manager in 2022-2023, Nance was diplomatic when asked about his countryman, comparing Marsch’s succession of Bielsa to what occurred with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. Mitch Johnson, 38, replaced the legendary Gregg Popovich, who in May stepped down as Spurs coach after 29 seasons.

“I’ve never spoken to (Marsch), but I’ve heard nothing but really great things about how he conducted himself and how everybody appreciated him around Leeds. But you’re the guy replacing “Pop” in San Antonio. That’s really hard. Those are big shoes to fill.”

Nance has good rapport and regularly texts with several first-team players. They relate to each other as athletes, he said. Still, one player whom Nance has not yet met formally is American winger Brenden Aaronson, but he sees something in the 24-year-old that he recognizes.

“I’m a Brenden fan. I see a lot of my basketball play style in him,” Nance said. “No real gaudy numbers in terms of goal output. But if you look at all the in-between numbers, the tactical side of the game, we are better with him on the pitch versus off.”

Leeds and USMNT winger Brenden Aaronson, left, celebrates winning the EFL Championship title. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

What he called the “rabid” nature of English football has long appealed to Nance. He said that he watches the Championship “religiously” and referred to the league as “managerial-based,” adding that the talent level and physical demands of England’s second division has surprised him.

“I’m just so thankful that I don’t have to play in it,” Nance said.

“(In the NBA) we play 82 games a year. Some guys are still playing,” he added. “I wasn’t fortunate enough to but that’s close to 100 games in a year. (Championship) players are putting in marathons. I’m exaggerating but soccer is a way more physical game than it’s perceived to be in America. It’s 46 games, plus the FA Cup, plus the domestic cups and all that. It is just an absolute grind.”

And when asked about his thoughts on promotion and relegation, Nance answered decisively. “I love it. It’s something to really fight and play for.”

American athletes aren’t exposed to the pressures of relegation football. Intense scrutiny is part of American sports culture, but the consequences of a failed season don’t compare to the often devastating nature of being dropped to a lower division.

“If the Hawks lose every single game next year, there’s no real punishment other than losing those games,” Nance said. “As a competitor I am not really a fan of that approach. I love the fact that you’ve got to keep fighting for something. Now, we can never have (relegation) because we have a salary cap. But I love the general idea behind it.”

Nance admitted that he doesn’t watch MLS, although it’s a league he’d like to learn more about. In March, owners of the United Soccer League (USL), which includes the second and third tiers of American soccer, voted to implement promotion and relegation by 2028. Nance was unaware of that plan but left the door open to becoming involved.

“It definitely piques my interest,” he said. “It’s not something that I would dive head first into right now. But if it was looking all right, I’d jump right into it.”

Back at the Old Peacock, Nance feels at home. He has enjoyed meeting Leeds supporters and having conversations with them about Daniel James’ 12-goal, nine assist season. Before Leeds kicked off against Bristol, Leeds supporters asked Nance about promotion to the Premier League and what he believes the club needs in terms of reinforcements. He appreciates that the topics of discussion always relate to football.

“It’s general conversations about the team and the sport that we love,” said Nance. “It’s not about basketball, which after a year of balling, I’m done talking about that, you know? I’m glad that they don’t want to know what it’s like to guard LeBron. I answer that 12 times a day.

“Of course they ask me, ‘What’s your aim here? Why us?’” And I just have the most genuine answers for them. Because I love you. It’s truly because I’m passionate about this sport. This is one of the biggest clubs in the world.”

Nance referred to his relationship with the club as a journey, one that he is happy to traverse whether Leeds is in the Premier League or battling for promotion in the future.

“I don’t know what’s next. But what I hope is next is a long, happy and healthy stay in the Premier League,” he said. “I have no idea if we’ll be in League Two in four years, but I promise you if I’m still in the NBA, I’m still going to wear my Keane and (Tony) Yeboah jerseys. Whatever happens, I’m there for it.”

(Top photo courtesy of Larry Nance Jr./Illustration: The Athletic)

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