words // Zack Schlemmer
Ahh, the 1990's. Among many great things of the times, the 90's were a wonderful time when your favorite NBA power forward on a team from Charlotte (that was actually good) dressed up like a grandmother to sell shoes. In case you're a little young and are lost now, we're talking about Larry Johnson as Grandmama, the dunking granny.
The Grandmama ads from Converse have gone down as not only one of the best and most memorable sneaker ad campaigns of the 90's, but of all time. Larry Johnson dressed as his own grandmother, but with all the same on-court abilities as LJ himself, will be remembered with the Lil' Pennys and Mars Blackmons of the world as the most creative and funniest sneaker-related ads ever.
This commercial features one of Larry Johnson's last signature models, the LJ. The LJ from 1996, is ironically the only one of Larry's many signature sneakers with Converse to bear his name or initials. The shoe featured REACT juice for cushioning and a lace protecting cover, similar to his previous AeroJam model. In this commercial we see Grandmama pull up to the gym in her pink Cadillac and proceed to do some damage on the court while wearing her LJ's. "She's the man!"
