The Los Angeles Lakers recently selected an alumnus and former basketball player from Revere High School in the 2015-2016 draft.

Lakers power forward Larry Nance Jr. overcame many obstacles in his life to prevail in basketball. From living with Crohn’s Disease for entire his life to tearing his ACL in college, Nance now works to dominate as a rookie in the National Basketball Association.

While attending high school Nance learned he had Crohn’s Disease. Former Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns basketball player and father of Nance, Larry Nance talked about how his son deals with the disease.

“A great doctor and a medicine called Remicaid helped Larry overcome Crohn’s Disease. He gets an infusion every seven weeks, and it puts the disease in remission,” Nance Sr. said.

In his junior year at the University of Wyoming, Nance tore his ACL while driving to the basket against Fresno State. It took Nance 8 months to return to the court after the incident. Nance explained that his friends’ and family’s support enabled him to return.

After his recovery, Nance continued working to reach his goals. Head coach of the Revere High School Men’s Basketball team Dean Rahas explained that Nance “is a very skilled and a high IQ basketball player who makes guys around him better.” Rahas also commented on Nance’s strengths on the court.

“There are so many things that [Nance] does well. The biggest thing with him is his work ethic and his attitude. That is why he’s at where he’s at right now. Obviously he has the physical attributes but you have to have the attitude to go with that. There are a lot of guys even in the NBA, college, and high school that have the skill and have the ability but they don’t have the mental toughness or the work ethic,” Rahas said.

Nance’s father added why he thinks Nance has reached success as a basketball player.

“[Nance’s] best aspect of basketball is that he’s usually the hardest working guy on the floor. He does all the defensive hard work that no one else wants to do,” his father said.

Nance has not always loved basketball his whole life. He recognized basketball as his passion in his junior year of high school.

Rahas explained when he started to see Nance develop into a true basketball player.

“[I saw Nance develop] in his junior year. At the end of his sophomore year, that summer with shoot outs, team camps, open gyms, I could see him start to grow into his body and get more comfortable on the court with his skills,” Rahas said.

Once Nance signed with the Wyoming Cowboys for college, he had to move from the suburbs of Akron, Ohio, to the farmlands of Laramie, Wyoming. Nance described the transition from high school to college basketball.

“The biggest difference between high school and college is the strength of the guys I’m competing against,” Nance said.

Nance’s father realized that his son was no longer playing basketball games down the road from the house. He was playing all the way across the country. Nance explained how he dealt with his son’s transition from high school to college.

“I probably went to see Larry in Wyoming twelve or thirteen times in four years. Two of those times, I drove a twenty hour drive,” Nance Sr. said.

Four years later, Nance’s draft night approached. Nance gathered at home on that night with his family waiting for his name to be called on the television. Soon enough, the twenty-seventh pick of the first round aired on the television. Nance heard his name called by the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, Adam Silver. The Los Angeles Lakers drafted him. Nance explained what was going through his mind that night.

“I was extremely nervous and excited on the night of the draft. [When I was drafted] it was a dream come true,” Nance said.

Rahas commented on how he felt about Nance being drafted by the Lakers as the twenty seventh pick of the first round.

“I was not surprised because I was expecting [Nance] to be drafted. I was expecting him to go late in the first round like he did, but I started looking at the ESPN analysis for the draft and they were saying that he might go middle of the second round, so I started to think, ‘Oh wow, maybe he might go in the second round.’ I knew he was going to be drafted, but when the Lakers drafted him in the first round, that was pretty awesome,” Rahas said.

Nance explained his experience with the NBA so far.

“I love it. This rookie year has been one of the most fun and frustrating years of my life,” Nance said.

Being part of the Lakers this year allows Nance to play with Kobe Bryant during his final year. Nance explained that playing with one of his idols, Bryant, has been a dream come true.

Nance explained that the biggest difference he has noticed between college basketball and professional NBA basketball is the speed of the game and the athletic talent of the players. During practice Nance Jr. engages in lots of running and other cardio workouts. He also works on his individual skills. When asked who had given him the hardest time on the court, Nance mentioned power forward for the San Antonio Spurs Lamarcus Aldridge.

For his first year in the NBA, Nance seeked advice from a former NBA player and his father to learn about the NBA lifestyle. His father explained what he told Nance about the NBA.

“I told [Nance] to always get proper rest at home and on the road, no matter how busy he gets, and also to behave himself, but [Nance] has always been a really good kid, so he knew that already,” his father said.

Throughout his life, hard work, perseverance and a positive attitude have led Nance to overcome a torn ACL and enabled him to play professional basketball with Crohn’s Disease. Nance has currently scored a career high of 17 points against the Memphis Grizzlies, a game in which he also had a double-double.