1987 McDonald's All-American...JUCO All-American...UNLV All-American..#1 NBA DRAFT Pick...Mr. HIVE DRIVE...BIG D's Own L.J. aka GRAND MAMA

They said there would be BUMPS in the Road coming out of Junior High in DALLAS, Texas and then he went to the NEXT LEVEL. The NEXT LEVEL was out of South Dallas and into Dallas SKYLINE High School where he dominated and I mean dominated.

Meet and Greet Mr. Larry DEMETRIC JOHNSON of Dallas,TEXAS and at 6'6" and around 250 EL BEES of GROWN FOLKS Business. He DOMINATED at SKYLINE High School where MOM wanted him to go and should have went to Dallas South Oak Cliff High School. Those out of South Oak Cliff High School Kenyon MARTIN aka K-MART and Darrell ARTHUR aka SLIM SHADY of ROCK CHALK Fame. And even those CLOSE to the South Oak Cliff Program say that one Deron MICHAEL WILLIAMS of JERSEY DRIVE from Dallas Texas who starred at Northern Suburb of BIG D The COLONY TEXAS should have even gone to South Oak Cliff High School.

L.J. was heavily recruited and then there were the rumblings reportedly when LARRY was named to the 1987 Mc Donald's All-American Game with players such as Mark MACON (TEMPLE), Marcus LIBERTY (ILLINOIS), Dennis SCOTT (Georgia TECH), Rodney MONROE (NC STATE), Brian SHORTER (PITTSBURGH), Jay EDWARDS (INDIANA), LaBradford SMITH (LOUISVILLE), and Sean HIGGINS (MICHIGAN) among others, LARRY signed with Hometown Southern Methodist University (SMU).

After signing with SMU the NCAA ruled L.J. reportedly had not passed the required scores to get into SMU which hurt L.J. and the MUSTANGS because they were a TOP 10 Program then with 7' Jon KONCAK who later was on the OLYMPIC Team and played with the Atlanta HAWKS.

Next STOP for L.J was ODESSA Texas Community College where the 1987 McDonald's All-American became 2-Time NJCAA National Player of the YEAR as everyone but the UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS stopped off into little ODESSA, Texas to recruit L.J..

Then came signing day at ODESSA and L.J. signed with Jerry TARKANIAN aka TARK the SHARK and the UNLV Runnin' REBELS and he joined a squad that had Top 50 HS Recruit Stacey "SPIDER-MAN" AUGMON out of Pasadena CA MUIR HS also home to ROCK CHALK's POINT GOD Jacque VAUGHN who is currently of POPPOVICH and the SPURS Coaching Staff. Greg ANTHONY a little known PG transfer from Portland University, San JACINTO TX CC Runnin' RAVENS Bigs David BUTLER and Moses SCURRY, and Detroit Michigan's SNIPER Anderson HUNT aka the ONE-MAN Fast Break. The rest was history for all who had UNLV on the SCHEDULE from here on out.

The RUNNIN REBELS dominated for the 2 Season L.J. was their with Back to Back BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS, Back to Back Final Four Appearances (even though they went 1-1 splitting with the Duke BLUE DEVILS), and they were ROCK STARS when traveling to other schools in the conference. JOHNSON dominated winning Conference PLAYER of the YEAR Both Years, NATIONAL Player of the YEAR in 1991 his Senior Year, and AP ALL-AMERICAN 1st Team both seasons.

Them came the 1991 NBA DRAFT where L.J. was hands down the #1 Pick in the DRAFT but battled Lethal Weapon 3's POINT GOD Kenny ANDERSON of ARCHBISHOP MALLOY HS NY Fame, Billy OWENS CARLISLE PA HS Fame via SYRACUSE, Dikembe MUTUMBO of GEORGETOWN, and Detroit PERSHING HS's Steve SMITH of SPARTY Fame....L.J. Was picked over all of this highly-decorated College Players as the #1 Pick to go HIVE DRIVE in Charlotte NC to join 1990 Top PICK Kendall GILL of the Flyin' ILLINI and Richton PARK ILLINOIS' Rich Central HS Fame.

It took JOHNSON all the way up to GAME 1 of the SEASON in the BOSTON Garden vs the CELTICS to showcase the 1991 NBA's 1st Overall PICK. Larry was an instant hit in the QUEEN City N.C. and he joined a team that was on the way up and the HIVE...CHARLOTTE NC COLISEUM....would never be the same.

When things really were going for L.J. and the HORNETS especially after they drafted Georgetown's Alonzo MOURNING.....they took off and so did L.J. Popularity in the league. He received an exclusive shoe deal with CONVERSE Shoe Company and the Signature Line L.J. was promoting had what CONVERSE Called CONS with REACT JUICE. You know nothing about the REACT JUICE do you. Another Player who joined L.J. on the CONVERSE Team was Phoenix SUNS Point God Kevin JOHNSON aka K.J...YOU HAVE 24 SECONDS....and the CONS took off with the INTRO of L.J. playing his grandmother called GRAND MAMA in the CONVERSE Commercials. 360 Degrees to GRAND MA MA..he was on the 1st ever issue of the Powerful HOOP HEAD MAGAZINE called SLAM Magazine.

Larry developed into an ALL-STAR but it was a Contract dispute as L.J. signed the RICHEST Contract ever at the TIME with the HORNETS to the dismay of ZO Mourning. This reportedly led to the deterioration of L.J. and Alonzo MOURNING's Relationship that led them both to get shipped out of town and the HORNETS were never the same outfit after that.

L.J. then finished his career with the NY KNICKS and they were a really good team as health issues took it's toll on GRAND MAMA as he retired after 5 seasons with the KNICKS but productive years with the GOTHAM CITY BULLIES.

As short as it may seem that was the JOURNEY for one of the more POPULAR NCAA PLAYER and TEAM that ever graced NCAA DIVISION 1-A Men's Basketball. Larry DEMETRIC JOHNSON will never be forgotten as one of the ALL-TIME Greats of UNLV BASKETBALL joining the likes of Reggie THEUS, TEAMMATES Stacey AUGMON and Greg ANTHONY, the late great Armon "the HAMMER" GILLIAM, Freddie BANKS, Jarvis BASNIGHT, ELMORE SPENCER, Marcus BANKS, and Isaiah J.R. RIDER.

The one place they will never forget L.J. will be SOUTH DALLAS TEXAS where he has left his mark as arguably the BEST EVER PLAYER HOOPS Player ever out of BIG D or shall I say GRAND MAMA out of BIG D.