Don't come to me and smile and then stab me behind my back.
Larry Johnson
I picked it up just for relaxation. I can sit down and get into the game and escape that it's a big game tomorrow, escape that we need a win, or whatever. My wife knows, after a game I get home at 12:30, I'm playing chess till 3 o'clock in the morning.
Did you ever watch the movie 'A Raisin in the Sun?' That lady was my mom, she was the spitting image of my mom.
In Charlotte, I thought we were on the right track. It didn't happen.
If I don't like a person and a person doesn't like me fine, that's mutual respect.
That was fun with the Grandmama. But it's something I can live without.
If I'm on fire, don't spit on me. I won't spit on you. That's respect. You go your way, and I'll go mine.
Saw the best boxer, pound for pound: Roy Jones. Not a lot of hype, though.
I want to play 11, 12 years right here and then retire - and win us some national championships, and be the Michael Jordan of Charlotte. This is the place that drafted me, that paid me. This is the place I should be loyal to.
The UNLV championship game against Duke, I didn't shoot the last shot. Choked. It took 10 years for me to say that. I had to be in the NBA five, six years for me to say that aloud.
I remember in Charlotte, they looked to me every day. I'm 30 now. And now it's, 'Let's just win.' Maybe when I was 26 there would have been ego. Now, I just appreciate the recognition for the defense.
Girl-wise, I never got the girl. Because of my mother and our economy, I never had clothes. And I never - like I said - dated. I didn't date at all. I was never a guy who had girlfriends.
I've been in the frame of mind in Charlotte that, O.K., I'm going to play defense. But I've never been in a frame of mind that my defense is going to generate my offense.
I have always wanted to spend my entire career in the Charlotte community and concentrate on bringing the city a championship.
No question, everybody knows my back was the main reason I retired.
Most of the power forwards in the NBA are 6'10', 6'11', making it difficult for a player at 6'7', 6'8' to the play the position.
I think I'm caught up in playing in New York. Here, my mind is cluttered worrying about things.
I can remember my jersey being the No. 1 seller for like two years, and I think it was the color of the jersey.
When people talk to me, they want to know about Grandmama, they want to know about UNLV, and how was it playing with Muggsy. You don't have to be a basketball fan to be a Muggsy fan. The shortest guy to ever play in the league, I get that question all the time.
I only won one national championship.
I'm always on the players' side, of course. The owners are going to take their fill, but I'm always on the players' side.
When it comes to the younger generation, anything on the floor I'll criticize - not playing hard, not doing this, fighting, not giving your all. Off the floor, you guys are on your own.
My five years in New York were unbelievable.
MSG is the world's greatest arena, and New York is so competitive.
Charlie Ward was the best dude ever.
No one man can rise above the masses or the condition of his people.
Yeah, we've made beautiful strides, but what percentage of black people has made that stride when I go back to my neighborhood and see the same thing? I'm the only one who came out of my neighborhood. All of them dead, on drugs, selling drugs. Am I supposed to be honored and happy just by my success?
It's important to get some balanced scoring on the floor. For me, I've got to make shots.
This is a beautiful country, the best country, but it's not holy, it's not righteous.
I feel I was born to play basketball.
What I want to do for Mom - I want her to be able to understand that she can do anything she wants. I want her to be able to say, 'I've never been to so-and-so,' and go. She deserves that.
As far as me going out to a movie or going out to eat, and people coming up, that's fine. I love that. I'd rather have it than not have it.
When I was in Vegas, people asked, 'Did you ever regret not going to SMU?' What? I'm in Vegas. I'm on TV every Saturday. I'm winning titles. Did I regret it? That's a silly question.
Since this basketball thing has started, some way or another I've become the most handsomest man in the world, because everybody's like, 'Oh!' I think, 'What's happened to me?'
My plan is to go back to Dallas and build my house. I want a spread 50, 60 or 70 acres. 'Cause Dallas is where everybody's at' that I can really relate to.
You'll hear guys talk all the time about coaches being a father figure. Well I'm 45 years old and I've never met my father. I consider Jerry Tarkanian my father.
I hope people understand that Jerry Tarkanian gave young black males a chance to better themselves and the lives of their families when no one else would. The way Coach talked to me, he spoke my language. I needed that type of voice in my life.
New York fans want a winner. They strive for a winner.
If I'm going to get suspended, I want to hit the guy.
If I put on any pressure. I put it on myself. Nobody else puts pressure on Larry Johnson.
There's a roller coaster effect when you're playing good. Everything seems to go your way. But once you start playing bad, you're playing bad.
You can be totally focused on the game and all of a sudden at the Garden, you'll snap and go, 'Whoa!' It's super loud and you can't help but take a second to admire what's going on.
We never played ball for money. We played because it was fun and I was good at it. But a lot of guys get paid big money to play this game, and I have a family I want to help out. But basketball will always be a game to me.
It hurts to lose night after night.
My main goal is to win me a championship.
I just play the game. Stats aren't a big issue with me. I've been around six or seven years, and I've had stats in this league. I've had individual accomplishments. To me, it's overrated.
I've turned down several assistant jobs in the NBA that I just didn't feel good about. I would love it at UNLV.
My back is terrible, man. I mean, you're always going to have some pain, but nothing that will stop me from doing what I want to do.
When you think about the Knicks, you associate Patrick Ewing with the Knicks, you associate Walt Frazier with the Knicks. If I do all the right things and perform up to my capabilities, I hope you associate Larry Johnson with the Knicks someday, too.
After I signed my big contract, I expected to be in Charlotte for the rest of my career. Things just didn't work out. Now I'm with the Knicks.
