The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Larry Nance Jr. lived out a childhood dream this month.
The starting power forward is in offseason, so he flew to the U.K. to catch five Premier League games in five days.
It started with him landing last Saturday morning and heading straight to Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur.
He then went west to see Everton thrash Manchester United 4-0 and swapped jerseys with Gylfi Sigurdsson, before heading south to London to watch his beloved Chelsea draw 2-2 with Burnley.
Nance got another chance to see Spurs, who beat Brighton 1-0, before returning north to Manchester to see United take on Man City, with the Blues winning 2-0.
"It’s been incredible," he said. "It was an opportunity to come see my second favorite sport.
"Coming over here and immersing myself in this culture is one of my favorite things to do. I absolutely adore this sport."
While the die-hard Chelsea fan wanted to see his team grab three points on Monday, he’s loved taking it all in again after making a trip at the start of the season.
"I was hoping for a better result at Stamford Bridge but I really enjoyed every second of this trip."
A soccer career denied?
He has become a top NBA player but if it weren’t for his height and coaches who failed to see a possible Peter Crouch in their ranks, Nance’s career could have been very different.
"I played soccer for the first 15-16 years of my life," he said. "I was a striker and then I got to about 6ft 8in-6ft 9in and they tried to throw me in goal.
"I said that was enough and I started tossing around a basketball."
Nance wasn’t the only NBA player taking in the Premier League last week.
John Collins, the 2017 first-round pick in the NBA Draft, joined him for the Spurs v. Brighton match at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a fixture also attended by actor Zac Efron.
US athletes loving the PL
The pair are part of a growing number of American athletes who are falling for the Premier League.
"There are a lot of different guys that are staking their claim with a club," Nance said.
After watching Pep Guardiola’s Man City boost their title claims with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in the derby, Nance headed to NBC’s pitchside desk post-match to talk with Arlo White, Lee Dixon, and Graeme Le Saux.
City's display made an impression on the 26-year-old. When asked who would win the title, Nance’s replied without hesitation.
"The obvious answer is City – Pep is unbelievable."
