One Routine Dunk Cost Him 60% Of His Leg Strength — And He Still Got $84 Million. LARRY JOHNSON

$84 million signed in 1993. $828,000 in assets listed in 2015. Where did the money go, and what did that contract cost the team around him? Larry Johnson grew up in Dixon Circle in South Dallas, won the 1990 national title with UNLV and went first overall in the 1991 draft to the Charlotte Hornets. He was Rookie of the Year, an All-Star and, in a flower-print dress and wig, the Converse character Grandmama. In October 1993 he signed a 12-year, $84 million deal, the biggest in league history, 3 months after a charity-game dunk hurt his back. He later spent 5 seasons with the New York Knicks. His story is a run of fights he picked or could not avoid. A university president blocked his admission despite a qualifying score, the NCAA hounded his UNLV team, and his own contract helped push Alonzo Mourning out of Charlotte. In New York he brawled with Mourning in the playoffs, hit a 4-point play against Indiana, and answered Bill Walton on live television. Then the Knicks paid him $28.8 million to walk away, and in 2015 his name reached a California court. Hoops Rebels — true stories of the players who wouldn't play along. Subscribe: @HoopsRebels Hoops Rebels is an independent channel and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the NBA, the ABA or any team. TIMECODES (EN) 00:00 — $112 Million Earned, $828,000 Left 01:36 — The Mother Who Listened for the Ball 04:11 — Eligible on Paper, Rejected Anyway 06:32 — Larry Johnson Refused the Money Twice 10:47 — No. 1 Pick in a Granny Dress 14:00 — Larry Johnson's Secret Before the Record Deal 16:43 — Leg Gone Weak, Reborn as a Shooter 18:27 — The Contract That Cost Charlotte Its Center 21:18 — Brawl With Mourning, Then a 4-Point Miracle 23:25 — The Words That Made America Argue 25:04 — The Knicks Paid Larry Johnson to Leave 27:52 — What the Bankruptcy Files Don't Show #LarryJohnson #NBA #HoopsRebels