Larry Johnson: The $84 Million Dollar Man, 1993

[Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan . . . and Larry Johnson? That’s right. In late 1993, Johnson seemed poised to become the NBA’s next mass-marketed icon after the charismatic Michael Jordan abruptly retired from basketball for a swing-and-a-hack at major league  baseball.

Johnson, just 24 years old and in his third NBA season, already had a numb…