Larry Johnson was the first bonafide star the Charlotte Hornets ever had. His jersey should be the second to hang in the rafters.
As of now, the Charlotte Hornets have only one jersey hanging in the Spectrum Center. That jersey is the number 13, worn by the late Bobby Phills, who was killed in a car accident in January of 2000. While that jersey does deserve to be there, it is still the only one that has been hung during the 30+ year history of the team.
That should change and the next number to be retired should be Larry Johnson‘s. If you’re reading this blog, then you’re almost certainly aware of who Larry Johnson is, even if you never saw him play in a Hornets uniform.
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Johnson was the team’s first true star, appearing in numerous commercials for Converse as his “Grandmama” persona. He starred alongside fellow Hornets teammate, Muggsy Bogues, in the classic movie, Space Jam.
He won Rookie of the Year in 1992. He was the team’s first All-Star, making the team twice in his career. And he was a major part of the team’s first-ever playoff appearance and playoff series win. And for those reasons, among being one of greatest to ever don the purple and teal, he deserves to have his jersey number retired.
In his five seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, L.J. averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds per game and alongside Alonzo Mourning, became the face of the Hornets in the early 90s. The team twice made the playoffs when Johnson was healthy in those five years.
Had the two superstars managed to get along, Johnson would most likely have been able to stay in Charlotte and could have built a serious contender to dethrone Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls at some point during their second three-peat.
Still, Larry should be the next player to have his jersey retired and start the conversation for retiring more of them because Charlotte has plenty of players that could be honored and fans would love to see it.
Only time will tell if this actually happens as the organization seems hesitant to do such things, but fans can continue to hp it eventually does. We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of Johnson’s first season, so perhaps they’ll save it for that occasion. If so, it should be fun for fans old and young to see one of the greatest Hornets ever finally honored the way he deserves.