February 10, 2021 - Kris Johnson on the LeBron James, the Lakers, UCLA and the state of college sports

The Late Night Happy Hour with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

He was a member of the '94-'95 national championship team at UCLA and played professionally overseas. Kris Johnson joins the Late Night Happy Hour, and we cover all kinds of ground.

First, it's all about the Lakers, who are a little stuck in the mud about a third of the way through the season, working through fatigue, injury, poor shooting and more, but are still managing to win. Any reason for concern?

Next, Johnson was a star at Crenshaw High in Los Angeles, playing with and around other pros. What was the high school scene like at that point? Why has LA been so good at churning out pros? What skill set does an LA player have, compared to what you see out of New York or Chicago?

We talk UCLA hoops. How thin are the margins for winning? People tend to forget the iconic Tyus Edney end-to-end run to beat Missouri was in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. If that doesn't happen, the entire arc of history around Bruins basketball changes. And Johnson notes the rest of the teams he played on in Westwood were really good... but not championship level. It's a very fine line.

From there, he talks about the hard truths around college sports, and whether it can ever again reach the heights and significance it once had in the American sports landscape.

Finally, he goes through some amazing stories of his time playing overseas, including being caught in a literal war zone as a pro in Lebanon. Also, eating Applebee's in places you wouldn't expect to find it.