UNLV’s Larry Johnson selected to college basketball hall of fame
Larry Johnson, who starred on two Final Four teams at UNLV, will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
He joins a class that includes Duke’s Shane Battier, Indiana’s Calbert Cheaney, Purdue’s Terry Dischinger, Providence’s Ernie DiGregorio and Stanford’s Todd Lichti. Former coaches Homer Drew, Lute Olson and the late Rick Majerus also will be inducted.
Induction ceremonies will take place as part of the Hall of Fame Classic on Nov. 24 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Johnson led the Rebels to the 1990 national championship and to the 1991 national semifinals. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.
He is considered by many as the Rebels’ greatest player and is the first UNLV inductee into this Hall of Fame.
Johnson was the national player of the year in 1991, a two-time All-American and two-time Big West Conference Player of the Year.
Johnson totaled 1,617 points and 837 rebounds in his two seasons after transferring from Odessa (Texas) College, averaging 21.6 points and 11.2 rebounds. His 457 rebounds in the 1989-90 season remains the school record.
After college, Johnson played 10 seasons in the NBA, five each for Charlotte and the New York Knicks. He was Rookie of the Year in 1992 and a two-time All-NBA selection. Johnson averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in his career.
He was inducted into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
