Whatever happened to Larry Johnson?

When I attended my first Charlotte basketball game, my thoughts immediately went to my first nostalgic association--Larry Johnson, the star player of the 1992-1994 Charlotte Hornets. For those who remember, he was known for endorsing Converse Reacts shoes and starred in a couple of Converse commercials opposite his fictional grandmother, dubbed "Grandmama".

"Grandmama" was basically Johnson in a blue flowered dress, grey wig, straw hat, cat's eye glasses and gold-toothed smile. The first ad launched from a very common insult: "[you're basketball skills are so bad] my own grandma can beat you on the court"



Wait a minute....blue dress? Grey wig? Cats Eye Glasses? Sounds familiar....

Anyway......

The "Grandmama" ads grew pretty popular and put Larry Johnson and Charlotte in the national spotlight. The character "herself" grew so popular that merchandising was made to cash in on the craze.
Merchandise from t-shirts to trading cards and posters.

I even recall a time in the Foot Locker when by chance I looked up at the ceiling to find a dangling inflatable dummy of Grandmama's legs (dress, sneakers and all), giving the impression of a slam dunk gone hilariously wrong. That was not the end of it, not by the slightest. The Grandmama phenomenon reached its peak when the character guest-starred on a episode of Family Matters.

But alas, as quickly as "Grandmama" appeared, she quickly disappeared and Larry Johnson left the public consciousness with her. With the Hornets returning to Charlotte this year, I had to find out what became of Larry Johnson since those days. Thanks to the advent of lovely invention I'm blogging on, I could find out very quickly.

Life After Grandmama

To be brief on the subject, Johnson's growing ego, fights with new teammate Alonzo Mourning, and financial strains on the team lead to public backlash and eventual relocation of the team to New Orleans. Johnson himself was relocated to the Knicks, where his rivalry with Mourning intensified and his behavior grew worse. By the early 2000s, he retired for health reasons and converted to islam.

Fellow "blogspotter" Basketbawful has more on this and the fate of the Hornets and John after the Grandmama Era:  http://basketbawful.blogspot.com/2011/09/players-i-hate-part-2-larry-johnson.html A more neutral biography is available at wikipedia (ironically):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Johnson_(basketball,_born_1969)

Johnson may have not been the next Jordan or LeBron, but he did cut a deep notch into sports history thanks to one good promotional endorsement. Maybe one day he'll choose to bury the hatchet with his past and pay a visit to the new Buzz City Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Both Johnson and "Grandmama" have made an impact that still resonate in the minds of nostalgic Hornets fans, Charlotte residents, and basketball pop culture fans alike.

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Hornets (might) Return to Charlotte

At a press conference today at 6:00pm ET, Michael Jordan announced the possible re-purchase of the Hornets team name to Charlotte pending New Orleans' name change to the Pelicans.

I apologize for the blurry video quality. The audio is pretty intact.





In the past year, the public response for the Hornets' return has pretty much grown from Facebook pages to a huge spike in sales for Hornets merchandise at Time Warner Cable Arena, the Bobcats' home stadium. If you ever attended a Bobcats game, you've probably noticed the crowd of blue and orange was often sprinkled of teal and purple. Many fans can't seem to let go.

While this isn't unique to Charlotte ( I did live in "Die Colts, Die" Baltimore for a while), but to wear the old team's colors in the presence of your current team kind of says "We support you but you'll never take the place of our true team." That must be hurtful to the Bobcats players, and this news just hits them where it really hurts. Keep in mind, I was also was taken aback by the team change after being out of the loop for several year, but even I made an effort to accept the changes when they came. It's a part of life.


If the name does return, I just wonder how the change back will impact Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the other players? What do you guys think?

UPDATE October 19, 2013--

The Hornets are returning, but not until 2014. Until then, Charlotte will be a Bobcats city for one more year, as Bobcats paraphernalia still drapes the Arena.

One Detail came to mind since publishing this article: Rufus Lynx, the Bobcats' Mascot, who has been a fan favorite since the Bobcats' induction. Are they willing to see HIM go with the franchise?

"I'm gonna miss you too, but your mom and dad wanted the old team back"

Just goes to show you gotta be careful of what you wish for.