Quotes from Larry Johnson

It hurts to lose night after night.

What I do in the off season that hurts me is I take a month off and I do nothing.

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.

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 can remember my jersey being the No. 1 seller for like two years, and I think it was the color of the jersey.

Don't come to me and smile and then stab me behind my back.

If I'm hurting the team with my play, then maybe I have to sit out a game. If I think I can be effective knowing what I can and can't do, I'll keep going at it.

I definitely don't look at myself as a 3-point shooter, but when we're playing three big guys, I find myself on the perimeter a lot, and they leave me alone. I've got to knock it down or do something with it.

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.

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.

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.

For me to lose weight or maintain my weight is all about my diet, because I can come here and work two-and-a-half hours twice a day and if I get off my diet and eat like I normally eat, which is bad, I will gain weight.

My five years in New York were unbelievable.

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.

Did you ever watch the movie 'A Raisin in the Sun?' That lady was my mom, she was the spitting image of my mom.

If I don't like a person and a person doesn't like me fine, that's mutual respect.

I only won one national championship.

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.

No question, everybody knows my back was the main reason I retired.

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 used to run the streets, my mom used to be crying all the time, coming to get me out of the police station all the time. Sports took me off the street.

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?

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'm a big Jeff Van Gundy fan.