Larry Demetric Johnson (born March 14, 1969) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who spent his career as a

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

with the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

and the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). An NCAA champion and two-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

, Johnson is a member of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...

. Johnson won a version of national player of the year at the high school, junior college, and NCAA Division I levels.

High school career

Johnson played at Skyline High School in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. As a senior, Johnson was a consensus All-American and was named Mr. Basketball USA. Johnson was a member of the 1987 McDonald's High School All-American Team.

College career

Odessa (1987–1989)

Johnson originally made a verbal commitment to play for Dave Bliss at

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

, but he instead enrolled at Odessa College in Texas following a dispute with the SMU administration about the legitimacy of one of his SAT scores. He played the 1987–88 and 1988–89 seasons at Odessa, averaging 22.3 points per game as a freshman and over 29 points per game his sophomore year, becoming the first and, to date, only player ever to win the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

Division 1 Player of the Year award both years played. There were even some basketball analysts who believed Johnson could have been a first round selection in the 1989 NBA draft (even a possible NBA lottery selection) if he had declared for early entry.

UNLV (1989–1991)

Johnson eventually transferred to the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

(UNLV) to play under head coach

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Reb ...

. Alongside future NBA players Stacey Augmon and

Greg Anthony Gregory Carlton Anthony (born November 15, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst for NBA TV and Turner Sports. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Anthony also co ...

, Johnson faced the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...

in the title game of the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. UNLV went on to win the contest by a score of 103–73, with Johnson contributing 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Runnin' Rebels set numerous NCAA records in the tournament, including simultaneous NCAA records for the largest margin of victory and highest score in an NCAA Tournament championship game. In a post-season mired by charges of recruiting violations and misconduct by UNLV, an agreement was reached between the university and the NCAA to allow for the defense of their title for the 1990–91 season, which would be followed by a suspension from post-season play the following season. Johnson and the Runnin' Rebels responded with a perfect regular season record of 27–0, with an average scoring margin of 26.7 points per game; this total included a 112–105 victory over the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

, ranked second in the country at the time. In the 1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, UNLV won the West Regional Tournament only to be upset by eventual champion Duke in the

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

. Johnson was named a First Team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

twice, and won the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's NCAA Division I, Division I. The conference was origina ...

Player of the Year and tournament Most Valuable Player awards in 1990 and 1991. He also won the prestigious John R. Wooden Award and was named

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is "the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's college basketball players of the year," as chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors. It is named in honor o ...

in 1991. To this day, Johnson is ranked 12th in career scoring and 7th in rebounding at UNLV despite playing only two seasons. He also holds the record for single-season and career field goal percentage. In 2002, Johnson and teammates Augmon and Anthony were inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame along with the 1990–91 UNLV men's basketball team. To date they are the only UNLV team to make back-to-back Final Four appearances.

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (1991–1996)

Johnson was selected first overall in the

1991 NBA draft The 1991–92 NBA season, 1991 NBA draft took place on June 26, 1991, in New York City, New York. Larry Johnson (basketball, born 1969), Larry Johnson was selected first overall; he won the 1992 NBA Rookie of the Year award and as a two-time All ...

by the

, and won the

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Tr ...

in his first season. He also competed in the 1992 Slam Dunk Contest at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando, finishing second to Cedric Ceballos of the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. In 1993, Johnson was voted to start in that year's All-Star Game, making him the first Hornet in franchise history to receive that honor; he enjoyed his best statistical season with averages of 22.1 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game in 82 games, which earned him

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

honors. Along with Alonzo Mourning,

Muggsy Bogues Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues (born January 9, 1965) is an American former basketball player. The shortest player ever to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Bogues played point guard for four teams during his 14-season care ...

and Dell Curry, Johnson played with the Hornets at the height of their popularity in the early to mid-1990s. During this time, Johnson, who went by his

initialism An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial letter of each word in all caps wi ...

"LJ" and the nickname "Grandmama" (because of a popular series of commercials for Converse, who signed Johnson to an endorsement contract following his entry into the NBA), was featured on the cover of the premiere issue of '' SLAM''. In October 1993, Johnson signed what was at the time the most lucrative contract in NBA history, a 12-year, $84 million deal with the Hornets. However, he missed 31 games after spraining his back on December 27, 1993, in a game against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. During the summer he played for the U.S. national team (nicknamed Dream Team II) in the

1994 FIBA World Championship The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the 12th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Canada from August 4 to 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome ...

, winning the gold medal. Johnson had entered the league as an explosive power forward, averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. However, after the injury to his back, Johnson was forced to develop an all-around game with an improved outside shot. In the 1994–95 season, he made 81 three-pointers, nearly 60 more than in his first three years combined, and was selected to the 1995 NBA All-Star Game. Friction between Johnson and Mourning forced the organization to make a change, and the resulting moves made by the Hornets left both players on other teams. Prior to the 1995–96 season, Mourning was traded to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

for Glen Rice and

Matt Geiger Matthew Allen Geiger (born September 10, 1969) is an American former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player who played at the center position. College career Geiger played for Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida ...

. Following that season, Johnson was dealt to the

for Anthony Mason and Brad Lohaus.

New York Knicks (1996–2001)

Johnson averaged 12.8 points, a career-low, in his first season as a Knick, and although he would never return to his former All-Star form, he was a key member of the Knicks' 1999 Eastern Conference championship team. Johnson took on a lesser role as the Knicks turned to Allan Houston and later Latrell Sprewell as the team's top scorers. During Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he was involved in a critical play in which he was fouled by Antonio Davis of the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. 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. Johnson made the shot and converted the free throw following the basket for a four-point play, which turned out to be the winning margin in a 92–91 Knicks victory. During the

1999 NBA Finals The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks f ...

, Johnson characterized the Knicks as a band of "rebellious slaves".

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American basketball player and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. He played college basketball, collegiately for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins an ...

later called Johnson and his performance a "disgrace". When Johnson was asked about the play of

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

Avery Johnson in Game 4, Johnson again shifted the topic to slavery: "Ave, man, we're from the same plantation. You tell Bill Walton that. We from Massa Johnson's plantation." He went on to say, "Here's the NBA, full of blacks, great opportunities, they made beautiful strides. But what's the sense of that ... when I go back to my neighborhood and see the same thing? I'm the only one who came out of my neighborhood. Everybody ended up dead, in jail, on drugs, selling drugs. So I'm supposed to be honored and happy or whatever by my success. Yes, I am. But I can't deny the fact of what has happened to us over years and years and years and we're still at the bottom of the totem pole." Johnson also played a central role in the developing rivalry between the Knicks and the Heat. In Game 5 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Johnson was one of several players who left the Knicks bench during a brawl involving teammate Charlie Ward and Miami's P. J. Brown; he was eventually suspended for Game 7 which the Knicks lost. Then in Game 4 of the 1998 Eastern Conference First Round, Johnson and former Hornets teammate Mourning engaged in a fight which also involved Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy holding onto Mourning's leg. Both Johnson and Mourning were suspended for Game 5, in which the seventh-seed Knicks eliminated the second-seed Heat. 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 had decreased for three straight years.

Post-playing career

In July 2007, Johnson expressed interest in making a comeback with the Knicks in some type of "leadership role". On December 21, 2007, Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science studies from UNLV. In 2008, Johnson was inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. He was hired by the Knicks as a basketball and business operations representative on April 8, 2012. In 2014, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Johnson converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. During the NBA season, he observed

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, the holy month of fasting. Johnson has five children with four women. In 2015, he filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

in a California court, claiming he owed more than $120,000 in unpaid

child support Child support (or child maintenance) is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child (state or parent, caregiver, guardian) following the end of a marriage or other similar relationship. Child maintenance is ...

Film and television

In 1993, Johnson appeared in the episode " Grandmama" of the sitcom '' Family Matters'' as his alter ego "Grandmama" (pronounced Grand Ma-Ma), who becomes Steve Urkel's teammate in a basketball tournament. Later that year, he was a guest on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

''. Three years later he appeared as himself in the movies '' Eddie'' and '' Space Jam''; in the latter he had a supporting role as a fictionalized version of himself. He was one of the NBA stars who had their basketball abilities stolen alongside

, Shawn Bradley,

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

and

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 82 , , 77 , , 37.2 , , .490 , , .227 , , .829 , , 11.0 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 19.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 82 , , 82 , , 40.5 , , .526 , , .254 , , .767 , , 10.5 , , 4.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 22.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993–94 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 51 , , 51 , , 34.5 , , .515 , , .238 , , .695 , , 8.8 , , 3.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1994–95 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 81 , , 81 , , 39.9 , , .480 , , .386 , , .774 , , 7.2 , , 4.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 81 , , 81 , , 40.4 , , .476 , , .366 , , .757 , , 8.4 , , 4.4 , , .7 , , .5 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 76 , , 76 , , 34.4 , , .512 , , .324 , , .693 , , 5.2 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 70 , , 34.5 , , .485 , , .238 , , .756 , , 5.7 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .2 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1998–99 , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , 48 , , 33.4 , , .459 , , .359 , , .817 , , 5.8 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .2 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1999–00 , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 68 , , 32.6 , , .433 , , .333 , , .766 , , 5.4 , , 2.5 , , .6 , , .1 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2000–01 , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 65 , , 32.4 , , .411 , , .313 , , .797 , , 5.6 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 707 , , 699 , , 36.3 , , .484 , , .332 , , .766 , , 7.5 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .4 , , 16.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 1 , , 18.0 , , .444 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 5.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 9 , , 9 , , 38.7 , , .557 , , .250 , , .788 , , 6.9 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , 19.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 4 , , 4 , , 43.0 , , .477 , , .111 , , .800 , , 5.8 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 20.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 32.8 , , .558 , , .353 , , .842 , , 4.0 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 8 , , 38.8 , , .486 , , .200 , , .740 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 20 , , 34.2 , , .426 , , .293 , , .674 , , 4.9 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 16 , , 36.8 , , .461 , , .394 , , .794 , , 5.0 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 11.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 66 , , 66 , , 36.3 , , .483 , , .303 , , .767 , , 5.3 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .2 , , 14.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1989–90 , style="text-align:left;",

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 40* , , 40 , , 31.5 , , .624 , , .342 , , .767 , , 11.4 , , 2.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , 20.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990–91 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 31.8 , , .662 , , .354 , , .818 , , 10.9 , , 3.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , 22.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 75 , , 75 , , 31.6 , , .643 , , .349 , , .789 , , 11.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , 21.6

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Larry 1969 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 1994 FIBA World Championship players African-American Muslims All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Dallas Charlotte Hornets draft picks Charlotte Hornets players Converts to Islam FIBA World Championship–winning players Odessa Wranglers men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 1989 Summer Universiade NBA All-Stars New York Knicks players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards Small forwards Sportspeople from Tyler, Texas United States men's national basketball team players FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Summer World University Games medalists in basketball UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball players First overall NBA draft picks Muslims from Texas

High school career

College career

Odessa (1987–1989)

UNLV (1989–1991)

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (1991–1996)

New York Knicks (1996–2001)

Post-playing career

Personal life

Film and television

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

See also

References

External links