By R.L. Bynum
Leaky Black, Pete Nance and Brady Manek will start play in the NBA Summer League this week, and every game will be televised.
Black, who reportedly signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets, will play six games, while Nance, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, will play five. Both signed with their local teams, with Black growing up in Concord and Nance in Akron, Ohio.
Manek was added to the Atlanta Hawks’ roster on Monday. For more details on Manek, read this story. Garrison Brooks will play for the New Orleans Pelicans’ team.
Black’s Hornets open play Monday against San Antonio and No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Black and Brooks will meet Thursday, July 13, when their teams face off at 7:30 p.m.
Black, 6–9, 205 pounds, is following a similar path as Brady Manek, who also played on the Hornets’ Summer League team after not getting drafted. Manek, who didn’t sign a two-way contract, didn’t get much playing time (averaging 14½ minutes and six shots over five games) and ended up playing in Australia instead of the NBA or the G League.
There are 18 players on Charlotte’s Summer League roster, including Virginia Tech’s Justin Robinson, UNCW’s Jaylen Sims, UNC Asheville’s Tajion Jones and, of course, first-round draft choice Brandon Miller of Alabama.
Nance, 6–11, 230 pounds, won’t have to battle nearly as many players for minutes on Cleveland’s 12-player roster, which includes two of its draft picks — Eastern Michigan’s Emoni Bates and USC’s Isaiah Mobley — and no other ACC players.
The Hornets play one more game than the Cavaliers because they are one of four teams that will play at the California Classic in Sacramento on Monday and Wednesday.
Most of the Summer League games are in Las Vegas at either the Thomas & Mack Center, where UNLV plays its games, or the Cox Pavilion. Games in Las Vegas start on Friday, with the playoffs beginning on Saturday, July 15 and the championship game on Monday, July 17.
Cleveland and Charlotte won’t meet in the Summer League unless the teams meet in the playoffs.
Both Nance, 23, and Black, 24, are old for rookies. Black arrived at Carolina in a freshman class with Coby White and Nassir Little.
Black played 130 games over five seasons at Carolina, scoring 853 points and pulling down 730 rebounds. Nance played four seasons at Northwestern and one at UNC, scoring 1,324 points and 138 3-pointers.
Nance’s father, Larry Nance Sr., is a Cleveland Cavaliers legend, and his brother, Larry Nance Jr., is an eight-year NBA veteran who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.
“I love it because it’s my journey,” Nance told cleveland.com of being part of his family’s story. “It’s my thing and it’s unique to me. The biggest thing about me is I am not comparing myself to anybody else. There are plenty of guys in the league that are getting plenty of opportunity to make a name for themselves going undrafted. I’m excited about it. It’s going to be a different path for me, but I am excited to attack it.”
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
tarheeltribune.com 
1 Comment