James Worthy

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Lore & Background

A standout college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the small forward was a consensus first-team All-American and shared national player of the year honors en route to leading his team to the 1982 NCAA championship. Named the NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player, he was selected by the Lakers with the first overall pick of the 1982 NBA draft. The Lakers had received the Cleveland Cavaliers' 1982 first-round draft pick in a 1979 exchange for Don Ford. The Cavaliers finished with the NBA's worst record in the 1981–82 season, leaving a coin toss to decide whether they or the San Diego Clippers would get the first overall pick. The Lakers won the flip, the first and only time a reigning NBA champion picked first overall.

In Their Own Story

Worthy's professional debut in 1982 was immediate, though his rookie season ended prematurely. He averaged 13.4 points per game while shooting a Laker rookie-record .579 from the field before breaking his leg on April 10, 1983, against the Phoenix Suns. Despite missing the rest of the season and the playoffs, he was named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team. By the 1984–85 season, Worthy had evolved into a feared clutch performer, wearing goggles for the first time after suffering a scratched cornea in March 1985. He helped lead the Lakers to their first title of his era with a 23.7 points per game average in the Finals against Boston. In 1986–87, he led the team with 23.6 points per game during the playoffs, highlighted by a 39-point performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against Seattle. The following year, his scoring prowess peaked again as he led the NBA in total points scored during the play-offs.

Reader's Guide

Worthy began the 1983–84 season as a starter at power forward in place of Kurt Rambis, who was on the injured reserve list. By December, Lakers head coach Pat Riley said that "it's becoming more and more obvious Worthy is not a legitimate power forward" due to his rebounding, describing him as "a finesse guy who likes to get the ball and go with it". The Los Angeles Times wrote that "he really is a small forward in a big forward's body." Worthy returned to the small forward position and came off the bench after Rambis recovered from his foot injuries. Riley cited Rambis's defense and rebounding. Worthy provided offense as a sixth man and was also prone to foul trouble.

Did You Know?

• Worthy was named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team despite missing the rest of the season and playoffs after breaking his leg on April 10, 1983.
• Worthy first donned goggles after suffering a scratched cornea during a March 13 game at the Utah Jazz in 1985, wearing them for the rest of his career.
• Worthy's 36–16–10 triple-double in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals earned him the NBA Finals MVP award.