Nance's Second Career Is No Drag

In a 13-year NBA career that ended after the 1993-94 season, Larry Nance never reached the top, unless you count his victory in the 1984 All-Star Slam Dunk contest. But the first time the 6'10" Nance folded himself into the driver's seat for a professional drag race, he came out a winner. That was on April 7 at Darlington ( S.C.) International Dragway, where Nance reached a top speed of 202.79 mph in his '96 Monte Carlo to win the Pro Stock category of the International Hot Rod Association's All Pro Winter Nationals. "Unlike a lot of retired athletes, I got right into something that gives me the same juice as playing," says Nance, now a scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers, for whom he played his final seven seasons. His main problem in racing is not in finding space in the car for his long legs (a few modifications have been made to accommodate him) but in attracting a major sponsor so, that he can drive full time. Considering that his old team retired his number 22 jersey last year, how about a Cavaliers-sponsored car? "I haven't asked about it," says Nance, "but it would be fine by me." And, after all, the Cavs need to rev up a little.