photo: cqubasketball.blog.sohu.com
During this holiday season, I’ll be dipping into the archives to offer up some updated goodies in the form of some of the most delectable “The Playground Gave Us…” joints from ‘08.
Before he became everyone’s favorite Grandmama, Larry Johnson was a straight up MONSTER! - a remarkable talent and imposing force on every court that he stepped on. LJ was quite possibly the most dominant two-year player in NCAA history. He was the next step in the evolutionary chain that eventually gave us Lebron.
Remember the 22 point, 11 rebound utter annihilation of Laettner and Alaa Abdelnaby of Duke in UNLV’s 103-73, ‘90 NCAA title game victory?
How about the poetry of that Runnin’ Rebel crew with his co-conspirators Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt, Stacey Augmon, etc? LJ, a two-time first team All-American, copped the prestigious Wooden and Naismith awards as the college game’s top dog. Prior to that, he was the junior college player of the year two years in a row at Odessa (Texas) Junior College.
LJ got his start on the playgrounds of the Dixon Circle housing projects in Dallas. His moms could peer out of apartment 204 and see him on the courts – morning, afternoon and night. He’d be out there at 3 in the morning, going one-on-one with his best friend.
Despite the drugs, guns, violence and negativity, the playground was his oasis, a refuge that put him on a trajectory toward life’s positive path, accomplishment and wealth. The outdoor game, where Johnson (a former P.A.L. boxer) honed his craft and utilized his knuckle game at least once a week, prepared him for his physical domination at every level. (fans of the pugilistic science can peep some of my boxing and other thoughts here: http://www.blackpower.com/author/ali-danois/)
photo: checkoutmycards.com
At Dixon Cirlce, the Redbird Rec Center and Green Bay Park, he was known as “The Marshal.” He actually ripped a basket off one of the neighborhood backboards during one particularly authoritative dunk, a feat that is still talked about today.
While friends and acquaintances fell victim to the crack epidemic around him, LJ insulated himself with playground ball before killing it at Skyline HS. He started every game for four years. In his debut as a freshman nicknamed “Baby”, he scored 17 points in the first half. By soph year, they called him “Baby-Man.” Junior year, it was simply “Man” and as a senior, he was the top ranked player in the country.
photo: media.lvrj.com
As a pro, Grandmama (the #1 pick in ‘91) – along with Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues, Kendall Gill and Dell Curry (Stephen Curry’s Pops) – lit the city of Charlotte on fire.
Converse and Larry Johnson hooked up in ‘91, when the sneaker’s parent company, INTERCO, was limping out of bankruptcy. With Grandmama as the face of the brand and a great marketing and commercial blitz that appealed to young and old alike, Converse enjoyed some of its most profitable years in the history of the company.
photo: garbagepoints.blogspot.com
When the company introduced the Tar Max brand (which evolved into The Destroyer), strictly for outdoor play, LJ carried the banner, becoming the first NBA player to endorse two separate lines of shoes.
The Grandmama character was so popular, LJ appeared regularly on sitcoms and late night shows like David Letterman’s.
photo: viewimages.com
The explosiveness of his first two seasons, where he averaged over 20 pts and 10 re’s per, later became compromised when foot and back injuries took their toll. But by the time he suited up for the Knicks, he’d remodeled himself into a very good outside shooter.
LJ endeared himself to NYC, even though his numbers dipped, with his tenaciousness and leadership on the crew that made the finals in ‘99 with Spree, Allan Houston, the Camby man, Charlie Ward, etc. The 4-point play in the closing seconds of the Conference Finals game against the Pacers sealed his legacy in the 5 Boroughs.
photo: si.com
Last year, LJ went back to UNLV and completed the requirements for his Bachelor’s Degree.
From the worst streets of Dallas to Team USA gold medalist in the 1994 FIBA World Championships, from Dixon Circle to NBA All-Star, from street fighter to the beloved Grandmama, it was the playground that made it all possible.
Recognize that before the injuries reduced him to simply being a very good player, Grandmama was once one of the best and most exciting to ever lace ‘em up. If you don’t know, ask any hoops observer about LJ in the early ’90s. They’ll let you know.
THE PLAYGROUND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THE SOLUTION!
December 4th, 2008 at 11:47 am
illest says:
good to hear he got his degree. the rebellious slaves comment during the 99 finals he made should have been made into a shirt.
this is off topic but the cuttino mobley scenario is crazy. he played all season with the clips but as soon as he gets a physical for the knicks he finds out he has an enlarged heart and will probably retire. crazy
then what happened to wayman tisdale and rodney rogers being paralyzed….just crazy.
December 4th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Casey Lee says:
Higher education is key. It’s nice to hear that most players went back to get their degrees i.e. Anfernee Hardaway, Vince Carter, etc.
LJ was Grandmama and revolutionized the sneaker game into the next level…business yet he had fun with it!
I like the Playgrounds quote!!
December 4th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
ali says:
definitely good to see these guys, even after earning all that money, going back to get the degree. that’s a message that needs to be seen, heard and swallowed by the young folks.
and the mobley, tisdale, rodney rogers thing is kinda crazy. all are part of the lefty “playground gave us…” universe. my prayers go out to all of them.
the rebellious slaves comment: i lost every ounce of respect for bill walton’s intellect when he called LJ a “disgrace to the game of basketball” for saying that. he was not literally comparing his experience to that of his enslaved forefathers but rather making an anology.
folks expect that, because a person is payed a certain amount of money, that they’re not entitled to any deep situational reflection. and god forbid that they actually have the gall to speak their mind. LJ is, has been and always will be A MAN!
walton reserves the right to disagree. but to call him a “disgrace”? j edgar hoover was a “disgrace” to the American concept of fairness and justice. bill walton was a “disgrace” to the concept of free/open thought and an individual’s right to expression. Larry Johnson’s flirtation with digrace came in this regard: he disgraced anyone that happened to be camped out in the lane during one of his dunks!
December 4th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
illest says:
walton is a clown anyway and its a disgrace hes top 50. i know thats been discussed before on this site.
and the left handed scenario is an ill catch.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
ali says:
yeah,
we killed the walton the discussion. his naismith credentials can be argued either way pretty convincingly. his top 50 selection, however is an undebatable farce.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Being somewhat new to the site I missed the Walton chat.. But I have been saying that to people for a minute about Bill Walton. In my humble opinion, he is occupying Nique’s spot on the top 50… He had an incredible championship season with the Blazers and unfortunately the rest of his career was plagued by his foot issues.. However, he does not belong in the NBA top 50 to me…
December 4th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
illest says:
Blk Caesar….thats pretty much it right there.
December 4th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
ali says:
exactly blk cease,
he’s not only taking nique’s place, he’s also occupying a spot that could be held by dantley, artis gilmore, tim duncan, mo cheeks, dennis johnson, gus johnson, jason kidd, gary payton, bob mcadoo, mark price, calvin murphy, bernard king, allen iverson, sidney moncrief, bobby jones, timmy skeeelz hardaway, chris mullin and others who were better nba players.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Ok fellas.. What about Robert Parish? He had extremely solid numbers but I think he got in moreso being apart of the Big Three in Boston then him actually being one of the 50 greatest NBA Players…
December 4th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
qd says:
best episode of “family matters” ever was when urkel & grandmama played in the basketball tournament
December 4th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
remone says:
Many people may not remember or even be aware of, but Larry Johnson was one of the very first, if not THE first players to get the BIG MEGA MILLION Dollar contract. He was signed to an $84 million dollar deal. Which at the time was the largest contract in the history of the sport, and even by today’s standards is still a heluva deal.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
ali says:
lj’s unprecedented $84 million deal in the early ’90s definitely sent shockwaves through the landscape, much like magic’s $25 mill, 25 year contract in ‘81.
blk cease,
parish definitely benefitted from his association with the celtics and is a somewhat questionable choice on that top 50 list. but he’s a slam dunk compared to walton.
chief was a great defender. and it’s hard to argue with a 21 year career and over 1,600 games played in. he might have actually been somewhat underappreciated during his career, because he did play with bird, mchale and those great celtic teams as well.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
zack says:
I had the Grandma-ma’s!!
LJ was the man when I was growing up. You definitely had have that Charlotte #2 or #33 jersey in my elementary school. Carmody Hills Elementary Represent!!
Watching him play after the injuries was hard. But I remember that Pacers game and the ‘99 run.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
ali says:
and even after the injuries he was a very good role player. he didn’t have the flight game any more but he still got rough under the boards for those precious rebounds hile being undersized.
it was difficult to watch him after the injuries, knowing what he could do when healthy, but he didn’t sulk. just went out, competed hard and was a great glue guy.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:37 am
illest says:
robert parish is definitely not one of the top 50 best. you mean to tell me hes better than bob mcadoo? please
December 5th, 2008 at 9:54 am
ali says:
no way the chief deserves a spot over bob mcadoo or ‘nique
December 5th, 2008 at 10:52 am
illest says:
exactly ali. another disgrace by the nba.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:06 am
ali says:
i don’t know if it goes to the level of disgrace illest. walton over mcadoo, ‘nique and bernard king? that’s disgraceful.
chief wasn’t top 50, but he was on the periphery.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:59 am
illest says:
disgrace may be a strong word but thats the feeling ive been getting over the past few years (i know the top 50 was 12 years ago). the underage draft rules, donaghy, firing coaches early into the season (i know this happens frequently but didnt sam mitchell win coach of the year a few years ago? now he cant coach?), changing the ball for no reason….the nba is a tough watch. ive had the league plan since it came out and year after year the play gets worse. eliminate some teams.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Illest, I could not agree more.. I love the NBA, but it is progessively getting harder and harder to watch an entire game(even in person).. Its funny but I had more enjoyment watching Duke vs. Purdue the other night than most of the NBA games I watched this season.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
ali says:
i personally enjoy the collge game more than the nba. don’t get me wrong, i love the league, but there’s an edge to a great college game that the nba can’t duplicate.
for my money, march madness and the ncaa final four are better than the world series, super bowl and nba finals. i can’t say that the nba is hard for me to watch. lebron, d wade, chris bosh, chris paul, melo, tony parker, manu, etc, i can still get up for it. shoot, i love watching tim duncan. but the excitement definitely doesn’t ratchet up til the playoffs.
but give me ben gordan and emeka okafor at connecticut, kenny, brian oliver and d-scott at georgia tech, patrick, david wingate and reggie williams at georgetown, wayman tisdale at oklahoma, chris mullin, action jackson and walter berry at st. john’s, melo at syracuse, pearl and stevie thompson at ‘cuse, danny manning at kasas, speedy claxton at hofstra, derrick dial and earl boykins at eastern michigan, lj and the unlv runnin’ rebels, phi slamma jamma, horford, noah and green at florida, mashburn at kentucky, isiah at indiana, mahmoud at lsu, rod strick at depaul etc. etc.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
illest says:
maybe i should get rid of the league pass (if thats possible) and ill appreciate seeing teams once a few months instead of every night. i definitely havent watched a full game this year.
march madness is definitely the best.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
ali says:
the league pass would be too much for me. maybe i appreciate the water more when i’m thirsty. my little tnt, espn and local cable seems to suffice. by playoff time, i’ll get to watch who i need to watching anyway.
the nba league pass should be free for the entire world until bernard king is ensghrined in the HOF and Bill Walton’s banner in the all-time top 50 is removed.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
ali says:
and if i had the league pass, my wife and kids would beef with me even more than they do now about my basketball jones.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Keelan says:
Given the amount of dedication required to enter the NBA you got to give them credit, regardless of the leagues flaws. These men have out shined their college competitors and in some cases their entire country to play in the NBA. I too would rather watch college ball over NBA as I am sickened by the expressiveness of the NBA which can only become truly appreciated sitting in the arena with the remote controlled blimps, t-shirts and hot dogs a flyin’, indoor fireworks, fog machines, and laser light shows. However, we choose to sit through the ridiculousness in anticipation of witnessing the poetics of basketball which may only be achieved by the pros.
With that said, the NBA is a carnival and as long as Stern sees a profit we will see little change in support of the fundamentals of the game.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
illest says:
I agree the League Pass should be free anyway. Dont they make enough money? I dont even watch that much. This is why the playground will always reign supreme. Just straight the essence and soul of the sport of basketball you will find on the playground. Thank you Bounce Magazine!!!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Honestly, I am more excited to watch Inside the NBA these days than the actual game(even some of the announcers get on my nerves(ie. Walton,etc..). I really wish they would let Gus Johnson call the NBA finals one of these days or give him more air time during March Madness. I used to have league pass. I subscribed when the Lakers acquired Karl Malone and GP that one season(I had to watch those boys play together.). Then I just didn’t sign up for it again the last two years b/c I watched less games.. I do agree that it should be free.. I can’t front though I am excited to see Portland play Boston tonight though. I like the way Portland plays.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
illest says:
Blk Caesar…..Better than Inside the NBA is Ahmad Rashad, Gary Payton and Chris Webber on NBATV on Tuesday nights. Payton is comedy.
Now if people want to watch NBA on their computer for free there is always channelsurfing.net or justin.tv
December 5th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Blk Caesar says:
I peeped them on NBA TV and they are funny.. Not only is Payton funny, but this week he had on a suit with this red shirt and the collar was spead out so far it could have been mistaken for a blouse.. It was straight comedy man. That show definitely gives Inside the NBA a run for its money. Speaking of Portland, will Jerryd Bayless get any significant burn this year?
December 5th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Andrea Cisco says:
KEWL!!!!!
December 7th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Mark says:
Ali – I’m surprised you didn’t reference the fight at the Garden with Van Gundy wrapped around Mourning’s leg. May not have been a great sports highlight, but easily one of the funniest moments in NBA history. And why do NBA stars fight like girls?
Walton definitely is not in the Top 50. Perhaps the greatest dunk of all time was Dr J over Walton back in the day. I still jump out of my seat every time I see it. See the #3 rated dunk here (at about the 1:20 mark):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpTfb9SkKaQ
December 8th, 2008 at 10:54 am
ali says:
yeah mark,
the lj/mourning fight with van gundy knawing at mourning’s leg was hilarious. lj was in the classic boxer’s stance though and looked very comfortable. mourning looked a little sketchy.
and the julius dunk on walton is definitely one of the best ever.
December 8th, 2008 at 11:02 am
illest says:
white boys usually cant jump anyway. so what the hell was walton and bobby gross doing trying to block dr j dunking?
December 8th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
ali says:
illest,
they usually can’t jump. however, my man rex chapman, at kentucky and early in his nba life, was yoking it with some all time butterness.
guess walton thought he was nice enough to block dr. j’s dunk. at least he tried though. gotta give him that. most would have drifted out of the facial and camera range.
December 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Cisco KIdd says:
LJ in a dress one-on-one against Urkel. I need front row.
December 9th, 2008 at 10:42 am
ali says:
grandmama and madea need to get together and do a flick.
December 9th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
illest says:
ali…it made no sense to jump. true indeed you could do a white man can jump series like white jesus, or bob sura, of course rex, and that cat from kentucky jeff sheppard who had some upps.
December 9th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
ali says:
i feel you illest. but if you’re a competitor, you’ve got to challenge the best. but it is like stepping in the way of smokin joe frazier’s left hook. not the smartest thing to do because you WILL get stretched out!!!
and let’s not forget tom chambers in the white guys that could throw it down discussion. and brent barry wasn’t too bad.
December 9th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
illest says:
ali…i didnt mention chambers because he is 6 foot 10 ( even though he was in a dunk contest and has the most unstoppable move in video game basketball history) and barry is 6 foot 7. i know he won the dunk contest. i was going to mention bobby jones.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
ali says:
ahhhh, bobby jones. i’m smellin’ that. even though chambers was 6′10″, he threw down some nasty, nasty joints in people’s grills.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:48 am
illest says:
that chambers mark jackson sealed it. very ill.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:17 am
Laura says:
LJ needs to get back in the game, he is loved by many
and owes that to his loyal supporters and fans.
Matter of FACT: “CONVERSE” NEEDS 2 MAKE A HUGE COME BACK & LJ WOULD REALLY WAKE UP THIS SHOE LINE 2 IT’S FULLEST!!!
LJ TODAY (AND DAMN HE IS FIT, FINEASS 2 NO GOLD TOOTH EITHER)CONVERSE IN FUTURE!
AWESOME PITCH!!!!!!
November 25th, 2009 at 12:45 am
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