Whatever happened to...? Former Otago Nugget Lance Allred

Allred in his Otago Nuggets playing days, going up for a shot against the Waikato Pistons in a...
Allred in his Otago Nuggets playing days, going up for a shot against the Waikato Pistons in a National Basketball League game in 2011. Photos: ODT/supplied.
Lance Allred gives a speech in his new capacity as a keynote speaker.
Lance Allred gives a speech in his new capacity as a keynote speaker.
Allred and his son, Simon (3).
Allred and his son, Simon (3).

This is the first in a monthly series in which Otago Daily Times sports writers catch up with past Otago sporting stars. This month, Adrian Seconi talks to the former Otago Nuggets basketball centre.

 

Then . . .

Lance Allred arrived in Dunedin in 2011 primed for a run with the struggling Otago Nuggets.

The critically acclaimed author was still finishing off his second book and certainly had some stories to tell.

He grew up in a fundamentalist Mormon polygamist commune and battled obsessive compulsive disorder.

He was the first legally deaf athlete to play in the NBA, playing alongside LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers during two 10-day stints at the franchise in 2008.

The 2.11m centre was a self-proclaimed nerd in a jock’s body and it was a fascinating combination.

He was a goldmine for a journalist looking to fill some space.

On the court, Allred was more methodical than spectacular.

He would run up and down the middle of the hardwood and was good for a solid 10-12 rebounds and 12-15 points.

But the charismatic American played a huge role in one of the more memorable moments in the Nuggets’ history.

The franchise had strung together an horrific 33-game losing streak — something it was reminded of a lot.

When the Nuggets finally broke the drought with a 74-67 win against the Manawatu Jets, it was the inspirational Allred who did the heavy lifting.

He scored 22 points and made 15 rebounds but the details of the match have long faded into the background.

It was the joy on the faces of the team and the sight of an overcome Allred crying during a post-match interview which has endured.

Now . . .

No surprise to hear the 35-year-old has packed enough into the past five years to write another book.

He got married.

He got divorced.

The couple had a son in between and he is the proud single dad of Simon — one very tall  3-year-old "who gets me into a lot of trouble".

Allred’s basketball career came to a halt last year when he was injured in Puerto Rico. He returned to Salt Lake City to set up his own company — L Squared Productions — and has made a successful transition into public speaking and sports broadcasting.

"As far as a deaf polygamous kid making the NBA, I had sort of cornered the market for motivational speaking," Allred joked.

It took the best part of year for his business to "take off" but he has a speaking engagement for American Express coming up and has been asked to do a TED  talk next month.

"I’m really excited about that. Hopefully it will open doors. Public speaking is a nice segue for me because I still get the pre-game butterflies before I go up on the stage, and I’m still entertaining so I don’t miss the thrill of performing."

The book he was finishing off when he arrived in Otago — Basketball Gods: The Transformation of the Enlightened Jock — went  No1 on Amazon.com in three categories.

The last chapter covers his stint with the Otago Nuggets.

"Whenever anyone asks me where was your favourite place to play I always say it was easily Dunedin. I kind of joke they weren’t paying me enough not to have a good time.

"I couldn’t have asked for a more scenic place to be and I miss it all the time. I probably developed the closest relationships with people during my career while I was in Dunedin."

And as for that night when he was overwhelmed with emotion following the Nuggets’ breakthrough win, Allred said the whole season could have been so different had the team not blown its first two games.

"After that we had a big monkey on our back."

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