The aborted Converse commercial that would have featured Larry Johnson , Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson is a story that has been recounted and retold many times. When LJ signed with Converse, his first ad with the shoe company was supposed to feature the brand's most iconic endorsers. But as the tale goes, one of them didn't want to do it.
The former UNLV Runnin' Rebel has always maintained that he never knew which one between Bird and Magic didn't want to do the commercial. However, during LJ's recent appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast, he finally gave a hint.
"Larry was my…Larry loved me," said Johnson when somebody from the crowd shouted Bird's name. "Yeah, Larry loved me. I never knew which one didn't want to do it. Larry loved me. Now, y'all get what I'm saying, right? I mean facts. Larry fu**** with me."
The commercial was not meant to be
Converse signed LJ to a $1 million per year shoe contract. At the time, that was twice the money that Nike paid Michael Jordan for his Air Jordans. Part of the deal was to appear in TV commercials, and the first one was supposed to be with Magic and Larry.
That ad would have been a surefire hit. According to LJ, Bird and Johnson were to appear as mad scientists creating the perfect basketball player. The two were supposed to argue over what name to give their creation. "The Hick from French Lick" would say Larry, while Earvin would say Johnson. While arguing Larry and Johnson back and forth, the prototype would raise up as Larry Johnson. But it was not meant to be.
"When I got to the set to do the commercial," added LJ. "All I see hanging up are two or three dresses, some wigs. I said, 'Come on, man,' and they came, and they pitched this one to me. Now I'm done signed with them, and the million gone. I said 'What happened to the commercial with me, Magic, and Larry? He said one of them didn't want to do it."
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So was it Magic?
While LJ never said that it was Johnson who turned down the commercial, he never mentioned his name when the topic was discussed. Instead, Larry kept saying that Bird loved him. With that, he might have indirectly pinned down the "Lake Show" legend.
The commercial was shot in 1991, and that was the year when Magic announced that he had HIV. An article from SLAM claimed that Converse shelved the project because of Johnson's condition.
Right there and then on the set, Converse presented LJ with their backup plan, which was Grandmama. The dresses and wigs that Larry saw in the trailer were his costume. The rest, as they say, is history.
Related: Larry Bird on Magic Johnson coming to his home during a Converse commercial shoot: "I had my brothers there I was going to fight him"
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