Johnson, Larry 1969–

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Larry Johnson 1969–

Professional basketball player

One of the first players to introduce a combination of bulk and speed to the National Basketball Association, Larry Johnson parlayed a successful college career into a professional one. A leader for then-national champion University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Johnson became a top pick of the 1991 NBA Draft. He wasted no time shining for the Hornets, before being traded to New York, where he would ultimately lead the Knicks to the playoffs.

Larry Demetric Johnson was born on March 14, 1969, in Tyler, Texas where his taste for athletics helped foster his will to fight for success. As a youth, Johnson’s sport of choice was not found on a basketball court, but in a boxing ring. From 1978 to 1982, Johnson boxed for the local Police Athletic League. A personable and outgoing teen, Johnson was voted by his high school classmates as “Most Likely to Succeed.”

Success on the basketball court began at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. There, Johnson honed his muscling-under-the-board and forcing-his-way-to-the-basket style of play that would become the cornerstone of his game. Johnson helped lead the Runnin’ Rebels to back-to-back Final Four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and ultimately, a national championship in 1990.

Drafted in First Round

Hard work and practice finally paid off for Johnson when the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets made him the first overall pick in the first round of the 1991 Draft. In only their fourth season, the Hornets were building a franchise from scratch. Having finished with a 26-56 record the year before, the Hornets won the coveted Lottery pick in the Draft. With that, they took the 6’7” 250-pound Johnson, and the forward wasted little time impressing Charlotte fans and the rest of the league.

Johnson was the second-highest Charlotte scorer, and also the unspoken team leader. He finished the season averaging 19.2 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Those numbers earned him Rookie of the Year honors for that season. Additionally, Johnson participated in the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, a two-day festival of events surrounding the actual game. Johnson finished second in the Slam Dunk Competition, but was not voted by fans to the game itself. That would soon change.

His sophomore season was one of Johnson’s best. Playing in all 82 regular-season games, Johnson finished

At a Glance…

Born Larry Demetric Johnson on March 14, 1969, in Tyler, Texas married Celeste; children: Larry Demetric Jr., Lance, Lasani. Education: University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 1991.

Career: Drafted by Charlotte Hornets, 1991; traded to New York Knicks, 1996.

Awards: Consensus First-Team All-American, 1990; Naismith Award; John Wooden Award; unanimous first-team college selection, 1991; College Player of the Year, 1991; Rookie of the Year, 1991; NBA All-Star Team, 1993; Ail-NBA Second Team, 1993; NBA All-Star, 1995; Olympic Dream Team II, 1996

Addresses: New York Knicks Basketball Organization, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121

with a career-high average of 22 points per game. Adding 10.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists, Johnson was named to the East Team for the 1993 NBA All-Star game. Johnson powered Charlotte to a 44-38 record, which placed them fifth in the Eastern Conference and earned the Hornets their first playoff appearance.

First Playoffs

Facing the Boston Celtics, one of the winningest teams in NBA history and certainly no stranger to the playoffs, the Hornets entered their inaugural playoff run against a formidable opponent. Boston beat Charlotte in Game One, however, the Hornets were determined to advance in the playoffs. In Game Two in Boston, the Hornets took the seasoned Celtics into double overtime, earning a 99-98 win. Back on their home court for Game Three, the Hornets beat Boston by thirty points, winning 119-89. Although the Hornets advanced to the next level in the playoffs, Johnson’s season ended when the New York Knicks beat Charlotte in five games.

Charlotte’s front office ultimately rewarded Johnson for his outstanding efforts. In what was—at that time—the most lucrative deal in league history, Johnson signed a 12-year, $84-million contract extension. However, shortly after signing, Johnson injured his back and missed 31 games of what would be his third NBA season. His numbers dropped, from 22 points per game to 16.4. His defense also suffered, with his rebounding down to 8.8 per game.

While his point production was still impressive by NBA standards, Johnson was forced to retool his game following the injury. Johnson’s new style featured more offense than defense. Analyst Kelly Dwyer, in a profile of Johnson appearing at www.onhoops.com, said that Johnson “didn’t have his same explosiveness after returning from his back injury, but still was able to chalk up the high point totals.” Dwyer continued, “[He] made up for what he lost with his back to the basket by facing up, driving, or shooting.”

That season, however, would be an aberration for Johnson. He returned strong in the 1994-95 campaign, healthy and rejuvenated. He averaged 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. While not the dominating force inside and under the boards as he once was, Johnson used his newfound outside game to help the Hornets. Johnson became a marksman from the 3-point range, hitting 81 of 210 3-point shots for a .386 percentage. That earned him another spot on the All-Star roster.

Johnson’s efforts spurred the Hornets to its first 50-win season in the franchise’s short history. The All-Star forward would also make his second playoff appearance, this time against the Chicago Bulls. The timing was imperfect, as 1995 saw the late-season return of Michael Jordan, whose Bulls quickly bounced Johnson and the Hornets from the post season in four games.

In what would be his last season in Charlotte, Johnson regained his 20-point-per-game style, averaging 20.5. He also averaged 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 steals per game. But the Hornets missed the playoffs by one game and much of the front office trading and shifting would eventually involve Johnson.

Traded to the Knicks

In the off-season of 1996, Johnson was traded to the New York Knicks, where his team role would be drastically altered. Although a perennial playoff contender, the Knicks typically came up short in its championship quest. Additionally, Johnson was no longer the top player as he was in Charlotte. In New York, he was part of a lineup that included such All-Stars and fan favorites in Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Charles Oakley. Johnson’s star did not shine as brightly in the shadows of the Knicks lineup, but, despite a drop in his numbers, Johnson worked hard on both offense and defense to prove his role on the team.

In his first season with the Knicks, Johnson’s scoring average dropped to 12.8 points per game and grabbed only 5.2 rebounds per game. This, despite only a minimal loss in playing time (76 games of an 82-game season and only six minutes less per game than usual). According to Dwyer, Johnson’s performance decline was attributed to “too much trouble adjusting to his new small forward spot and the Knicks’ standstill offense.” In the post season, Johnson helped the Knicks past his former Charlotte team, but later lost in the second round to the Miami Heat.

Johnson rebounded nicely in the 1997-98 season, scoring 15.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds. That year, Johnson would score a season-high 35 points against Miami on Feb. 2, 1998. Johnson also earned his 400th assist during the April 5th game against Boston. Again, Johnson’s team made the playoffs, where he was becoming a seasoned veteran in the post season. In typical fashion, New York advanced to the semifinals to face Indiana before losing in five games.

Above and beyond his basketball dynamics, 1999 would put Johnson in an even brighter spotlight. He garnered attention not only for his heroics on the court in the post season, but for the politically and ethnically charged statements he made to the press. Johnson took on the air of a veteran and wasted little time letting reporters know exactly what was on his mind

In the 1999 post season, Johnson and the Knicks made a serious run to the finals, beating Miami in the first round, sweeping Atlanta in the second and defeating Indiana in the third. It was after a 90-78 Game Three win against Atlanta that Johnson offered some insight on his basketball thinking. In a question-and-answer interview appearing at www.asapsports.com, Johnson pointed to the Knicks play and confirmed what might be on tap for Game Four: “I thought that one point we played a little lackadaisical. Guys were scoring fairly easy. We was getting good looks at the basket. That is what kept us in the game early.” He added, “We definitely need to come out with focus and try to do the things that we have got to do to win this ballgame.” And that they did, beating Atlanta 79-66. The Knicks then beat Indiana to advance to the finals.

Controversial Comments

Despite ultimately losing in the playoffs to San Antonio, Johnson managed to create quite a stir with the media. The controversy began when Johnson referred to his Knicks teammates as, according to Sports Illustrated, a “bunch of rebellious slaves.” Former NBA legend Bill Walton then reacted to Johnson’s “slave” remark and criticized Johnson for a poor performance after Game Four of the finals, which the Knicks lost 96-89. Walton, as quoted in Sports Illustrated, said of Johnson, “What a pathetic performance by this sad human being.” Walton continued, “This is a disgrace to the game of basketball and to the NBA.”

Johnson’s retort following the Game Four loss was fiery. Johnson defended his “slave” comments and even took it to new heights in front of media covering the NBA Finals. Johnson held court in the Knicks locker room and used the opportunity to raise serious issues that abound in the African-American community. “Y’all know it. Damn Bill Walton. Tell him to trace his history and see how many slaves his ancestors had,” Johnson said, according to Sports Illustrated. “Y’all trace y’all history and see how many slaves y’all had. Come on, now. It’s a touchy subject. But why does the truth always hurt?”

Feeding off of Walton’s words, Johnson continued to speak frankly. Knicks Public Relations officials continually attempted to intervene and end the interview. That, however, did not work, and Johnson continued to detail a plight often seen in many predominantly black urban areas. His speech was half gospel, half angry Muslim. “Here’s the NBA, full of blacks, great opportunities, they made beautiful strides,” was quoted in Sports Illustrated. “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.”

National media outlets lunged at the quotes, quickly turning them into sports radio fodder. Johnson’s slave quotes might have rocked the basketball boat, but in the heat of playoffs, players have been known to say anything. What was lost in Johnson’s statements is his community-minded sprit and generosity off the court. Johnson’s time and money has been wisely spent on community and charity causes. According to www.geocities.com, Johnson has been “heavily involved” in the United Way, a national nonprofit organization supporting a variety of children’s programs. Johnson has also rooted himself in the Tyler, Texas community by donating $1 million for a recreation center near the site of the Dallas housing project where he grew up.

Somewhat reinventing his game and being relocated to a team where he was not the lone superstar might have altered his stats somewhat, but Johnson has consistently displayed an aggressively smart basketball style each season. It was the same intensity that led him to success in college and placed him atop the upper ranks of the NBA.