Larry Johnson (basketball)

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Larry Johnson

Position	Power forward
Nickname	LJ, Grandma-ma
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	250 lb (114 kg)
Nationality	United States
Born	March 14, 1969 (age 38) Dallas, Texas
College	UNLV
Draft	1st overall, 1991 Charlotte Hornets
Pro career	1991–2001
Former teams	Charlotte Hornets 1991–97 New York Knicks 1997–01
Awards	1991 USBWA College Player of the Year Naismith College Player of the Year (1991) John R. Wooden Award (1991) NBA Rookie of the Year (1992)

Larry Demetric Johnson (born March 14, 1969 in Dallas, Texas) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire professional career with the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks in the NBA. He was listed as a 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) forward.

Johnson played his collegiate ball at UNLV, winning the 1990 NCAA Championship title with them, was selected first overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Hornets, and would win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award the following year.

Along with Alonzo Mourning and Muggsy Bogues, Johnson played with the Hornets at the height of their popularity in the early and mid-1990s. During this time, Johnson, who went by his initialism "LJ" and the nickname "Grandma-ma" (because of a popular Converse commercial in which he dressed up like an old lady, which led to a role on the sitcom Family Matters), was featured on the cover of the premiere issue of SLAM Magazine. Unfortunately, friction between Johnson and Mourning forced the organization to make a change, so the Hornets traded Mourning to the Miami Heat. A year later, Johnson himself was traded by the Hornets for fan-favorite Knicks player, Anthony Mason.

Johnson was a key member of the Knicks' 1999 Eastern Conference championship team and was the player who was hit with a foul by Antonio Davis of the Indiana Pacers. Standing outside the three-point line with 11.9 seconds left, Johnson held the ball, and then began to dribble. He leaned into defender Davis before jumping up. The referee called the foul about a half-second before Johnson released the ball, but it was counted as a continuation shooting foul. The three-point basket and the ensuing free throw gave the Knicks a 92-91 victory. The play was described by Tom Hammond of The NBA on NBC: "Johnson... is fouled... and hit!".

He was also a main contributor a year later in the NBA conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. Even though the Knicks lost the series 4-2, Johnson single-handedly carried them to their 2 victories in the series, coincidentally, when Knicks center Patrick Ewing was not playing.

During the 1999 playoffs, Johnson characterized the Knicks as a band of "rebellious slaves." Bill Walton later called Johnson and his performance "a disgrace to the game of basketball." When Johnson was asked about the play of Spurs' point guard Avery Johnson in Game 4, Johnson again shifted the topic to slavery. "That's my man, Ave, because we're from the same plantation. We've both got the Johnson name," he said. "You tell Bill Walton that. We're from Massa Johnson's plantation." [1]

On October 10, 2001 Johnson announced his early retirement from basketball due to chronic back problems that had plagued him for several years, after his point production decreased for five straight years.

[edit] TV appearances

Johnson had a cameo in the film Space Jam in 1996, depicted as one of the NBA stars who lost their talent alongside Muggsy Bogues, Shawn Bradley, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing.

Preceded by Lionel Simmons

Naismith College Player of the Year (men) 1991

Succeeded by Christian Laettner

Preceded by Lionel Simmons

John R. Wooden Award (men) 1991

Succeeded by Christian Laettner

Preceded by Derrick Coleman

NBA first overall draft pick 1991 NBA Draft

Succeeded by Shaquille O'Neal

[edit] External links

• NBA.com Player Page
• Article on the effect of Johnson's conversion to Islam
• 1991 Oscar Robertson Trophy