CLEVELAND — Larry Nance Jr. is going to shed some light on why so many NBA players have become big fans of international soccer.
The Cleveland Cavaliers forward has teamed up with the Men in Blazers Media Network to launch a digital show called “Switch the Play,” a weekly program that will feature those NBA players who are soccer aficionados and discuss happenings in the game.
The first episode, featuring Alex Caruso of the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, debuts Thursday.
“I entered the NBA in 2015, and I was probably one of only a couple of guys in the league that could tell you who won the Premier League the previous season,” Nance said. “Now, soccer is a constant conversation starter in the locker room. Soccer’s popularity has grown so much over the past 10 years, as has the international influence on the NBA creating more and more players that follow the game consistently.”
The ties between soccer and the NBA have never seemed to run so deep.
Many of basketball’s top stars — Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Joel Embiid and more — make no secret of their fascination with soccer. Wembanyama was on the field for a Paris Saint Germain-Manchester City game in Paris last winter when he and the San Antonio Spurs were there for a pair of games against the Indiana Pacers. The Spurs center also went viral this summer for taking part in pickup soccer games around the world.
The fandom goes both ways: Soccer icon Lionel Messi and other Inter Miami stars were at a Miami Heat game in 2024, Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe are regulars at NBA games and Butler said last season he’s lost count of how many jerseys he’s exchanged with soccer standouts at NBA games.
The NBA even modeled its NBA Cup in-season tournament in part around what has worked in European soccer regarding in-season trophy play.
“This show will give stars from around the league the opportunity to let fans hear them talk about their soccer fandom, parallels in the two games, and how we see it as professional athletes,” Nance said.
Nance played soccer until he was 16 and is now part owner of Premier League club Leeds United — becoming an investor in 2023 along with Indiana guard T.J. McConnell. Now 33, he is entering his 11th NBA season with career averages of 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Nance signed with Cleveland as a free agent in July. It’s his second stint with the Cavs; he was previously with the club from 2018 through 2021.