Former Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders would like to make a return to the NBA and is teasing yet another comeback attempt.
With the league having been locked down since coronavirus forced a suspension of play back in March, a lot of people around the NBA have likely had a lot of time to think about their careers to date, and what may come next.
It seems like former 15th overall pick and Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders should certainly be counted among those in reflective mode too.
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Just under a month ago, Sanders opened up to speak at length about his NBA experience, making the decision to step away from the game, and his feelings for his former Bucks teammates and the city of Milwaukee.
In an interview with TMZ Sports on Sunday, though, Sanders was looking forward rather than backward in terms of his NBA career, again sharing a desire to stage a comeback and return to the professional ranks.
According to Sanders, with the way the NBA has evolved, he believes he could still be well-suited to contributing to a winning team:
"“I think with things shifting a bit, me still young, I feel like I’m in the prime stage, I can definitely contribute.”“I would just love to contribute to a team and help them win and give my knowledge, give my defensive presence and just being able to play basketball.”“That’s ideal for me. That sounds like heaven.”"
Of course, Sanders has already returned to basketball on a couple of occasions since walking away from the Bucks by way of a contract buyout back in 2015.
Sanders made five appearances with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2017, while also spending some time in the G League with the team’s affiliate, the Canton Charge.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, the Cavs felt that Sanders struggled with his responsibilities both on and off the court, and missing a team bus to the airport following a road game in Miami ultimately led to Cleveland moving on from the former VCU Ram.
Even more recently, Sanders also participated in the Big3 league in 2019, even getting a chance to make an appearance in Milwaukee once again.
Regardless of Sanders’ desire to return, it may prove to be a long shot for him to find his way back into the league as a 31-year-old. In his prime, Sanders’ defense and athleticism would certainly have appealed to teams around the NBA, but after years on the sideline those attributes will come with question marks. Added to those over his attitude, a return could prove to be a near insurmountable task.
Still, Sanders was always popular among Bucks fans, and still is to this day. If he does manage to find his way back into the league, there’ll be a lot of people rooting for him from Milwaukee.