Larry Johnson (LJ) – AKA Grandmama Bio – UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Basketball Star Player
Larry Johnson is known to many people as the intimidating basketball player who led a competitive NBA franchise of the Charlotte Hornets as a forward in the 1990s. His name may be better known to others because of the tough guy personality he she appeared in notable shoe commercials as the alter ego Grandmama (Johnson dressed as an elderly woman with exceptional basketball and track skills). Finally, a specific niche of now young adults who were the age of the target market when the movie Space Jam (starring Michael Jordan opposite Bugs Bunny) was released in 1996 is best associated with a hodgepodge of NBA players who mysteriously lost their basketball powers at the hands of cartoon aliens. . In addition to Larry Johnson, the motley crew of NBA players whose basketball skills were fictionally wiped out by aliens included Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, and Mugsy Bogus.
Long before the movie Spam Jam came out or the character Grandmama was selling shoes, Johnson was making his mark with the University of Nevada – Las Vegas (UNLV) Runnin’ Rebels, where he led the team to its only national basketball championship. of the NCAA in 1990. Larry Johnson, also commonly known as LJ, did not join UNLV’s Runnin’ Rebels basketball team right out of high school, and instead the Texas native began his college career at Odessa College. . After playing one season (1988-1989) with the Odessa, Texas high school, LJ moved to Las Vegas and joined the Runnin’ Rebels team, where he made an immediate impact.
While playing for coach Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV, Johnson had the advantage of playing with two other future NBA players: Greg Anthony and Stacey Augmon (who had the curious nickname “plastic man” as a result of his unique ability to stretch). The 1990 March Madness that the Rebels team made to the Final Four ended with a matchup against the high-profile Duke Blue Devils. In a championship game that was touted by the media as a matchup between contrasting playing styles, the Duke University team led by Christian Laettner was described as a fundamentally sound and disciplined team, while the UNLV team led by Larry Johnson it was labeled as an athletic team that had a more physical aspect. street ball game style. Ultimately, in what was expected to be a competitive game for the ages, the UNLV Rebels clinched the championship 103-73 in a game in which the Las Vegas team set NCAA records for the most points and the largest margin of victory in a championship game. Larry Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a contest that was largely decided well before the final buzzer.
Larry Johnson’s team would go undefeated in the regular season the following year with a 27-0 record before being defeated in the Final Four by the Duke Blue Devils, who would go on to win successive national championships after being dismantled by the Runnin’ Rebels in the first of three straight trips to the championship game.
Larry Johnson was named a First Team All-American in each of his two seasons at UNLV and even won the coveted Naismith College Player of the Year award after the 1990-1991 season. Interestingly, roughly twenty years later, LJ still ranks 7th all-time in rebounding and 12th all-time in scoring even though he only played two years and his numbers are compared to many star players who posted impressive stats over the years. four years of your eligibility. In recognition of his efforts, UNLV retired his number four jersey.
