Former NBA star Larry Johnson spoke on ‘All The Smoke’ about his deal with Converse and his iconic ‘Grandma’ commercials. Johnson revealed that he was initially slated to do a commercial with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who were also part of the Converse team. But one of them said no, and it led to the creation of his ‘Grandma’ ads for Converse.
“They said, ‘They’re in marketing, they’re going to put you in a commercial’. I said ‘Okay, what’s the commercial?’. They said ‘The first commercial is, we’re going to put you in a gurney, we’re going to cover you up, and nobody can see you. It’s going to be two doctors. One is going to be Magic Johnson and the other doctor is going to be Larry Bird’.”
“At the time, they were both in Converse. They’re going ‘Scalpel, this, that’. Then they say we’re finished, and they say ‘The perfect basketball player. We gotta name him’. And Larry says his name gotta be Larry, then Magic says no, Johnson. ‘Larry, Johnson, Larry, Johnson’. And I rise up and the commercial goes off… That’s the end of the commercial…”
“A month later we do that. Season starts, they come to come – ‘You’re in for the commercial?’… When I got to the set to do the commercial, they didn’t tell me nothing. I got to the set to do the commercial, I walked into my trailer… I see a dress, a wig, all this in the corner…”
“That’s all I see hanging up, two or three dresses, some wigs. They came and… they pitched this one (Grandma) to me. I said ‘What happened to this one with me and Larry?’. They said one of them didn’t want to do it. I never knew which one didn’t want to do it… “
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It is a shame that we never got to see the original pitch for that commercial featuring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Larry Johnson. It was a hilarious play on their names, as Larry Johnson shared a first name with Bird, and a last name with Magic, and would have been a great way to hype up their next big star.
Larry Johnson’s Grandma Commercials Were Iconic
While fans might lament that one of the two legends turned down the commercial idea for Converse, it did lead to the iconic commercial series which featured Larry Johnson dressed in grandmother clothes and playing basketball. These commercials were a big hit and aired on television for five years.
Johnson wasn’t just known for his hilarious commercials, but also for being a great basketball player. After a great stint at the University of Nevada, where he won the NCAA Championship, Johnson was drafted first overall in the 1991 NBA Draft, going to the Charlotte Hornets.
He immediately established himself a star in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992, and then earning 2 All-Star and 1 All-NBA selection in his career. He would eventually leave the Hornets and join the New York Knicks. While he was no longer an All-Star player, he played a key role in the Knicks’ 1999 NBA Finals run.
During his NBA career, Johnson averaged 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
While he didn’t end his career with an NBA championship, he did leave a lasting impact on NBA fans who watched him. His Converse commercials were a big reason for this.
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