LJ Ranked #2 Forward All time in Hornets History

Obviously he was really #1 but they made a slight joke that since Kobe Bryant was drafted by the team, he should be #1. Anyways Larry was one of my favorite Knicks during the 90's and I'll never forget the way he checked his ego at the door when coming to NY and solely focused on winning.

Five Seasons: 1991 - 1996

Stats With Team: 19.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 4.1 APG

Professional sports’ FIRST (and certainly more well-liked) Larry Johnson was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets out of UNLV with the No. 1 overall pick in 1991. Forget all the “Grandma-ma” hoopla, plain and simple: LJ put the Hornets on the map.

Teamed with Mugsey Bogues, (a year before Alonzo Mourning was drafted to complete the three-headed monster which became the face of the Hornets’ franchise in the early nineties) the undersized Johnson averaged a double-double (19.2 PPG, 11.0 RPG) his rookie season, en route to ROY honors.

Aside from the numbers (which were stellar), LJ made the Hornets a much more marketable franchise with his brash, always smiling demeanor and striking good looks.

He finished second to Ced Ceballos in the 1992 Slam-Dunk contest, and his television character “Grandma-ma” (an old lady who can miraculously dunk, which he used for his Converse shoe commercials) graced the cover of SLAM magazine, and made him instantly recognizable to the masses.

After five successful seasons with Charlotte, due to grumblings that he and Mourning were at odds, he was shipped to New York for Anthony Mason and change.