Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} by James Worthy James Worthy. In 12 years with the basketball team, "Big Game" James Worthy was known for his ability to maneuver around opposing players at a dizzying pace. "I just decide I'm going to go around [a defensive opponent] when I'm setting up and when I get the ball, I go," he told Sports Illustrated . He also thrilled fans with trademark one-handed swooping dunks. With the Lakers, Worthy helped his team capture three NBA championships. "I don't think there has been or will be a better than James," former Lakers coach Pat Riley told the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. "He was always such a quiet guy. But when he was in his prime, I can guarantee you, there wasn't anybody who could touch him." Played Basketball to Help Parents. James Ager Worthy was born on February 27, 1961, the youngest son of Ervin and Gladys Worthy. He was raised in Gastonia, North Carolina, where his father was a Baptist minister. Worthy started playing basketball around the age of four, though he acknowledged during his Basketball Hall of Fame acceptance speech, "I just hated the sport," according to Newsday. His parents inadvertently changed his mind. The Worthy family believed in hard work and hard study and it was expected that their children would go to college. However, on a minister's salary that was not so easy to accomplish. Worthy saw his parents struggling to pay college tuition for his brothers and decided to get a scholarship to help out. "[That] was the only reason I wanted to play ball," Worthy continued. By ninth grade Worthy was making local headlines. By tenth grade colleges were after him. Already nearing his full height of six feet, nine inches, Worthy was very big, very fast, and very good. As he led Ashbrook High to victory after victory, even his opponents cheered for him. By his senior year he had played on five All-American teams, earned Conference Player of the Year, and amassed an incredible average of 21.5 points per game (ppg) and 12.5 rebounds per game (rpg). Scholarship offers poured in. Worthy stayed close to home, choosing the University of North Carolina (UNC). His decision again was influenced by his family. "[UNC Coach Dean Smith] talked to my parents and promised two things; I would go to class and I had to go to church unless I had a letter from my parents," Worthy told Hoophall , the Web site of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "From that point I knew I wanted to play for Coach Smith." Worthy donned the UNC Tar Heel uniform in 1980 but midway through his freshman year he slipped and shattered his ankle. Doctors had to implant two screws and a six-inch metal rod to repair the damage. He missed 14 games and began to doubt his future in basketball. "I wasn't sure I would be able to come back with the same type of intensity I'd always had," the NBA Web site quoted him. His fears were unfounded. His sophomore year, with the screws still intact, Worthy stormed back onto the court. He averaged 14.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg, helping to lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA championships. Though they lost to Indiana, Worthy's reputation as a top college player was cemented. Went from College Champion to Superstar Shadows. Worthy entered his junior year at UNC at the top of his game. "He was the quickest guy on our North Carolina team," a former UNC coach told Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. "And we had Michael Jordan as a freshman. But James was a man among boys underneath. And when the big games came, his eyes got big." With an average of 15.6 ppg in the regular season, Worthy led his team to the 1982 NCAA championships. In a pattern that came to characterize him, Worthy shifted into high gear during the playoffs and scored 28 points in the final game to seal the championship. In three years at UNC Worthy was named to 11 All-American teams, voted Most Outstanding Player of the 1982 NCAA Final Four, chosen Helms Foundation National Player of the Year, and of course, earned an NCAA championship. He was ready to go pro. He left UNC just before his senior year and threw his name into the 1982 NBA draft. The Los Angeles Lakers did not hesitate to make him the number one draft choice. In 1982 the Lakers were the reigning NBA champions and their roster boasted superstars Kareem Abdul Jabbar and . The team also had Jamaal Wilkes as small forward — the position Worthy was drafted to play. On just about any other team, Worthy would have become an immediate star. On the Lakers, he was relegated to the background. "We could all see he was a big-time player, but I think what everybody appreciated most under the circumstances was that he kept his mouth shut," Johnson told Sports Illustrated . In fact Worthy gained a league-wide reputation for his stoicism. He did not scream for joy over a win, nor complain loudly about a loss. He shunned media attention and did not engage in locker room banter. "We know him, but we don't know him," Johnson told Sports Illustrated . This quiet demeanor came to be an essential part of his success in pro ball. "James was a great player within a system," Jerry West, former general manager of the Lakers, told the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Earned First NBA Championship. While he was still a rookie, Sports Illustrated called Worthy "one of the best players to come into the NBA in the last decade." He earned that praise, playing in 77 games and scoring the highest field goal percentage of any rookie in the league. He also became the fourth rookie in Lakers history to score 1,000 points. Worthy's feats landed him on the NBA All-Rookie team. Coaches and fellow teammates were also impressed. "He has unbelievable footwork," Lakers forward Maurice Lucas told Sports Illustrated . West agreed, telling the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service , "James was an impossible matchup. Put a smaller guy on him and he'd go over him. Put a taller guy on him and he'd go around him. Put a smaller, quicker guy on him and he'd still go around him. That was his special skill." Unfortunately, near the end of the season Worthy broke his leg and was sidelined during the playoffs. At a Glance … Born on February 27, 1961, in Gastonia, NC; married Angela Wilder, 1984 (divorced); two children. Education: Attended University of North Carolina, 1979-82. Career: Los Angeles Lakers, professional basketball player, 1982-94; professional speaker, 1994 – ; broadcaster. Selected memberships: Big Brothers of Los Angeles; Special Olympics; Boys and Girls Club of America. Selected awards: NCAA, Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, 1982; NBA, Most Valuable Player of the Finals, 1988; LA Lakers, jersey retired, 1995; NBA, 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, 1996; enshrined in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 2003. Addresses: Home — Los Angeles, CA. Back on court by the middle of the 1984 season, Worthy racked up a 14.5 ppg average. Again, he turned up the heat during the playoffs, increasing his average to 17.7 ppg. Worthy and team went on to face long-time rivals the in the championships series. According to Sports Illustrated , "[Worthy dominated] the first three games." By the fourth game, the Celtics — and their fans, known for taunting opposing teams in order to unnerve them — had had enough. As Worthy took the floor for a potentially game-tying free-throw, the heckling began, not only from the fans, but also from Celtic players. Worthy missed and the Lakers went on to lose the series. "I really didn't appreciate that," Worthy told Sports Illustrated. "I just thought it was kind of low. It was my first experience with the Boston mystique. It was kind of cheap — but that's the Celtics." In 1985 the Lakers returned to face Boston in the NBA championships. After losing the first game by 40 points, the usually quiet Worthy spoke up. "Before Game 2, I remember James saying, 'Let's go out and play like the Lakers,'" teammate Michael Cooper recalled to the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. "Now, that doesn't sound like anything special. But it reminded us that we hadn't been ourselves." Taking his own advice, Worthy, whose season average had been 17.6 ppg, increased his average to 21.5 in the playoffs. In the finals against Boston he nudged even higher, to 23.7. "The bigger the game, the more important the situation, the better James plays," Riley told Sports Illustrated. Playing like a Laker, Worthy helped the team win the championship. "That was the one I cherish the most," the NBA Web site quoted Worthy. From 1959 to 1969, the Lakers had faced the Celtics seven times in the championships, losing each time. In breaking that losing streak, Worthy and crew became Los Angeles heroes. Became "Big Game" James. For the first time in his professional career Worthy's scoring average topped 20 ppg in the 1986 regular season. He also made the first of seven consecutive appearances in the NBA All-Star Game. The All-Star series — held mid-season each year — features players voted on by fans. Worthy's inclusion proved that he had finally come out of the shadow of Jabbar and Johnson. Worthy and the Lakers faced the Celtics again in the 1986 championship. Boston won but the Lakers bounced back the following year. In 1987 the Lakers tore through the playoffs and then trounced the Celtics in six games to retake the NBA crown. By 1988 Worthy was a superstar. During home games the stadium shook as the crowds chanted his name. Sports journalists across the country wrote that Worthy was indeed "worthy" — of praise, fame, even basketball history. Characteristically, Worthy stayed focused on basketball. His scoring average again topped 20 ppg, helping the Lakers coast to another championship appearance. This time their opponents were the . The series came down to the wire in the seventh game. Worthy, again proving his grace under pressure, pulled off the best game of his career. He scored an astounding 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. In basketball, when a player attains double-digits in three different game statistics, it is called a triple-double; — an amazing feat that attests to a player's versatility. By scoring the first triple-double of his career, Worthy helped the Lakers beat the Pistons, 108 to 105. Worthy donned his third championship ring and was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals. He also earned the nickname that has come to define him: "Big Game" James. The Lakers lost the NBA championship to the Pistons in 1989 and did not make it past the semi-finals in 1990. They returned to the finals in 1991, but lost to the . As the Lakers fell, Worthy's play also declined. In 1991 he posted the best scoring average of his career with 21.4 ppg, yet his field goal percentage dropped for the first time in eight seasons. The following year Worthy had surgery on his knee and sat out most of the season. When he came back in 1993 he had record low averages in every category. He was suffering tendonitis and knee pain. "Physically, he's beat up," teammate Sam Bowie told the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Worthy decided to retire a week into his thirteenth season with the Lakers. He was 33. In addition to his physical ailments, Worthy admitted to Hoophall , "I lost the love of [playing] the game." Following retirement, the previously media-shy Worthy took on several high-profile jobs. He covered the NCAA Final Four for CBS and appeared on Fox Sports News . He guest-starred on Everyone Loves Raymond and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On the professional speaking route, he began commanding up to $20,000 an appearance. He also wrote a basketball column for Sports Ya!, a Spanish-language Web site. Meanwhile, he received several prestigious honors for his years with the Lakers. On December 10, 1995, Worthy became only the sixth player in Lakers history to have his jersey — number 42 — retired. In 1996, the NBA named Worthy one of the 50 greatest basketball players in history. And in September of 2003 Worthy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "This is the ultimate," Sports Network quoted Worthy as saying during his acceptance speech. "It is more than an honor to be amongst the Hall of Famers tonight." However, in typical modesty, he clarified to Hoophall , "of all my goals, this was not one of them. … I played basketball to try to get my parents from working so hard." He not only succeeded, he became a basketball legend in the process. Sources. Periodicals. Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, November 9, 1994; November 10, 1994. Legends profile: James Worthy. When James Worthy retired before the 1994-95 season, it was fitting that Earvin “Magic” Johnson was there to describe Worthy’s career. Johnson, after all, had made the passes on the fast break that set up hundreds of Worthy’s trademark one-handed swooping dunks. “James Worthy was one of the top 10 — top five — players in playoff history,” Johnson stated at Worthy’s retirement news conference. No one argued with that assessment. By the time he retired, Worthy owned a Most Outstanding Player Award from the 1982 NCAA Final Four and a Most Valuable Player Award from the ’88 NBA Finals. He was a member of three NBA championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers (1985, ’87, ’88). Worthy’s career postseason averages of 21.1 points and 5.2 rebounds were higher than his regular-season averages of 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds. Worthy recorded his first triple-double in arguably the biggest game of his career: Game 7 of the ’88 Finals against Detroit, in which Worthy collected 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. He also holds the all-time record for the highest field-goal percentage in a five-game playoff series (.721 in the ’85 Western Conference finals vs. Denver). Never was a nickname better suited to a player than Worthy’s moniker of “Big Game James.” By the time he was a ninth-grader at Grier Junior High in Gastonia, N.C., Worthy’s basketball exploits were already making front-page news. Coached at Ashbrook High by a Dean Smith disciple named Larry Rhodes, Worthy attended summer basketball camp at Chapel Hill and early on seemed destined to wear Tar Heel blue. Averaging 21.5 points and 12.5 rebounds as a senior at Ashbrook, Worthy was a unanimous selection as a prep All-American. His stardom at the University of North Carolina seemed assured. Then, midway through his freshman campaign, Worthy slipped on a wet spot on the Carmichael Auditorium floor and broke his ankle. He missed the last 14 games of the season and, for a time, it appeared his career might be in doubt. Typically, the unflappable Worthy made the best of an unfortunate situation. “I wasn’t sure I would be able to come back with the same type of intensity I’d always had,” Worthy told Sport magazine in ’91. “I wasn’t traveling with the team, I wasn’t going to all the practices, and I wasn’t a part of the day-to-day routine. It really made me wake up and expose myself to all kinds of people — not confine myself to just basketball.” Fully recovered, Worthy became an All-Atlantic Coast Conference forward as a sophomore. He averaged 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds that season while shooting .500 from the floor. It was his junior year at UNC, however, that became legendary. In 1981-82, Worthy was part of one of the greatest collections of talent in collegiate basketball history, a squad that included Sam Perkins and a freshman named Michael Jordan. The Tar Heels stormed through the regular season. A consensus First-Team All-American, Worthy averaged 15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting .573 from the floor. He shared Player of the Year honors with Virginia’s . The UNC squad reached the 1982 NCAA championship game as the slight favorite over Georgetown and . That contest would set the pattern for the rest of Worthy’s storied career. As always, he was at his best in the biggest game, scoring 28 points on 13-for-17 shooting and making a key steal of a Fred Brown pass to seal North Carolina’s victory. Worthy was named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four, yet his heroics were at least partially overshadowed by Jordan’s storied game- winning jumper. Despite his greatness, it was Worthy’s fate to be overshadowed by his more celebrated teammates: Jordan in college, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson in the NBA. The Lakers had won the NBA championship in ’82, and they had one of the league’s top small forwards in Jamaal Wilkes. But astute trading had given Los Angeles the top pick in the Draft. During the 1979-80 season, the Lakers sent Don Ford and a ’80 first-round pick (which became Chad Kinch) to the for Butch Lee and the Cavs’ first-round pick in ’82. When that pick turned out to be the No. 1 overall selection, the Lakers claimed Worthy, who had decided to pass up his senior year at North Carolina. Worthy became only the second overall No. 1 draft choice the Lakers have had since moving to California in 1960. The first, of course, was Magic in ’79. Wilkes was still at the top of his game when Worthy arrived. Wilkes averaged 21.1 points in 1981-82 (16th in the league) and played more minutes for the Lakers than everyone except Johnson and Norm Nixon. On most NBA teams, Worthy would have been the immediate star; on the Lakers, he had to serve an apprenticeship. Magic would recall that the way Worthy handled himself that first year showed immediately that he had the brains to go along with his physical gifts. “Even though he was the No. 1 pick in the Draft, he had made up his own mind that he was gonna learn from Wilkes, and he accepted his role,” Johnson told the Los Angeles Daily News after Worthy retired. “That told me he was a team player, and a winner too. Most rookies would be complaining and griping, but he never did that.” Worthy nevertheless put together a respectable rookie campaign. He played in 77 games before fracturing his left tibia and missing the ’83 playoffs. His field-goal percentage of .579 topped all other rookies and remains a Lakers club record for rookies. He averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team. The Lakers were swept in the NBA Finals by the , but “Showtime” had more appearances to come at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. Prior to the 1983-84 season, the Lakers traded Nixon to the San Diego Clippers for Swen Nater and the draft rights to rookie Byron Scott. Worthy started 53 games, and the Lakers had the nucleus that would carry them to NBA titles in three of the next five years. In the 1984 NBA Finals, Los Angeles lost to Boston in a thrilling seven-game series that included two overtime games. As he would throughout his career, Worthy increased his production during the playoffs: He averaged 17.7 points and 2.7 assists in 21 postseason games, compared to 14.5 points and 1.7 assists in the regular season. In 1984-85, L.A. was the dominant team in the league. The Lakers had the second-best regular-season record, one game behind Boston at 62- 20, and led all teams except Denver in scoring. The Lakers swept through the playoffs, losing only three games through the Western Conference finals, and beat Boston in six games for the NBA championship. And James Worthy had arrived, becoming the third-leading scorer (17.6) and second-leading rebounder (6.4) on the club. As always, he shot well, finishing the regular season with a .572 field-goal percentage. With Worthy, Scott and Michael Cooper filling the lanes and Magic running the show, the Lakers developed one of the most feared fast breaks in the history of the game. Again, Worthy rose to the occasion in the postseason, scoring 21.5. He later called it the championship that meant the most to him. “It’s not just because it was my first NBA championship, but that we did it in the [Boston] Garden,” he told Sport magazine in 1991. “That was the one I cherish the most. There was a lot of attention to the fact that they’d pretty much dominated us, even though that was back in the ’60s. Plus, we had lost to them the year before, so we had a lot of incentive.” The NBA championship swung back to the Celtics in 1985-86, although Worthy had the best season of his career and made the first of seven consecutive appearances in the NBA All-Star Game. He upped his scoring average to 20.0, the first of four times Worthy would average 20 or more in the regular season. He equaled his career-best .579 field-goal percentage in the regular season. In the playoffs, Worthy averaged 19.5 points — the only time in his career when his scoring average did not increase in the postseason. The next two seasons proved to be the peak of not only Worthy’s career but of the Lakers’ dominance in the 1980s. Los Angeles had the best record in the league both years, winning 65 games in 1986-87 and 62 in 1987-88. They beat Boston in six games in the 1987 NBA Finals and the Detroit Pistons in seven for the ’88 NBA title, becoming the first team in two decades to repeat as champion. Worthy was superb, adding his own take to the position defined by and Julius Erving. Besides averaging 19.5 points in those two seasons (22.4 in the playoffs), he became an excellent passer from his forward spot. His assists increased to 3.5 in 1987-88. And in the playoffs he was, as always, Big Game James. The Lakers struggled through the 1988 postseason, surviving seven-game series against both the and the before facing the Pistons in the NBA Finals. In 24 playoff games, Worthy averaged 21.1 points, 4.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds while shooting .523 from the floor. He capped the year by scoring 36 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and handing out 10 assists as the Lakers beat Detroit 108-105 at the Forum to win the title. Worthy was named MVP of the Finals. It is perhaps emblematic of his career that he was not even named to the All-NBA Third Team that season. That was the last of the Lakers’ NBA championships during the Magic-Kareem-Worthy era. Los Angeles was swept by the Detroit Pistons in the 1989 Finals, lost to the in the 1990 Western Conference semifinals, and fell to the Chicago Bulls in five games in the 1991 NBA Finals. As the team’s fortunes declined, however, Worthy’s role continued to grow. Worthy led the Lakers in minutes played in 1988-89 (36.5) and averaged 20.5 points. In 1989-90, he had perhaps his finest year statistically, scoring 21.1 points and pulling down a career-high 6.0 rebounds. He averaged more than 24.0 points in the playoffs in both ’89 and ’90 and earned the first of his two All-NBA selections (on the Third Team) in ’90. In 1990-91, Worthy averaged 21.4 points, his highest single-season mark. But he shot .492 from the floor — the first time in his career that he had registered a field-goal percentage below .500 for a season. Worthy had posted a field-goal percentage higher than .530 in each of his first eight seasons in the league. The Lakers again advanced to the NBA Finals in 1991, but after winning the first game, they lost four straight and Jordan’s Chicago Bulls captured the first championship in franchise history. Worthy played three more seasons before retiring prior to the start of the 1994-95 campaign. He took with him 16,320 career points and a truckload of golden moments. Fans and former teammates viewed his departure as marking the end of an era, and the always-cool Worthy was not oblivious to the feelings. “I can remember coming into the league and being under the likes of Kareem, Jamaal Wilkes, Magic, Norm Nixon and Bob McAdoo,” he told the Los Angeles Times . “Now I find myself in that situation. Guys are telling me how they were in junior high, watching us beat the Celtics in ’85. I can’t be that old.” Worthy will be remembered for his breathtaking athletic skills — the blinding speed, the smooth, effortless glides to the hoop, the one-handed tomahawk jams. And he will be recalled as the ultimate clutch player — his career postseason field-goal percentage of .544 ranks among the top 10 on the NBA’s all-time playoff list. “I don’t think there has been or will be a better small forward than James, and I don’t think people appreciated that,” said his coach, Pat Riley, to the Los Angeles Daily News upon Worthy’s retirement. “He was always such a quiet guy. But when he was in his prime, I can guarantee you, there wasn’t anybody who could touch him.” James Worthy Net Worth. James Worthy Net Worth 2021: Wiki Biography, Married, Family, Measurements, Height, Salary, Relationships. James Worthy net worth is $10 Million. James Worthy Wiki Biography. James Ager Worthy is a retired Hall of Fame professional basketball player, basketball commentator, analyst and television host born on 27th of February 1961 in Gastonia, North Carolina, USA. He is better known under his nickname “Big Game James”, and has been named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Have you ever wondered how rich James Worthy is? According to sources it has been estimated that James’s overall net worth is over $10 million. James accumulated his wealth thanks to his three decades-long basketball career both as a player and a coach. The long list of awards he won only helped increase his net worth. James Worthy Net Worth $10 Million. James attended Ashbrook High School and at this time he was already named an All-American high school basketball player. Upon graduation, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina where he continued perfecting his basketball skills. His first year at college was interrupted by an ankle injury but he soon got back on court, and became a key member of that school’s 1981 NCAA runner-up team the next year. Worthy lead the scoring for Tar Heels NCAA championship team, which included some of basketball’s biggest talents such as future NBA stars Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan. He earned the College Player of the Year award and dominated the game against the Georgetown Hoyas in 1982 championship. James’s outstanding performance throughout the NCAA tournament earned him its Most Outstanding Player Award. On his senior year in college, Worthy entered the 1982 NBA Draft, completing his degree later via summer school, and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers. James instantly made an impact as a rookie with his speed and the ability to score with either hand. Apart from being one of the best post players in his position, Worthy made his signature mark with his so called “Statue of Liberty” dunk. During the following period, he was named “Big Game James” for his exceptional talent and abilities. In the 1985/1986 season, Worthy excelled and secured his first of seven consecutive All-Star appearances. The following two seasons were equally successful and cinched him the NBA Finals MVP award. After playing in 926 NBA regular season games, 143 play-off games, ranking sixth all-time in Lakers team scoring, third all-time in team steals and seventh all- time in team field goal percentage, James retired in November 1994 after several ankle and knee injuries. Of course his net worth had grown substantially in these 12 seasons. In 1996 he was voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame seven years later. Worthy is one of eight UNC players who had their numbers retired upon the end of their active career. After his retirement, James started working as a studio analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes and served as an NBA analyst for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. He also had a brief acting career as he portrayed the Klingon Koral in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” on episode “Gambit, Part II”. Apart from this, he portrayed himself in an episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond”. When it comes to his most recent activity, on September 2015, Worthy was hired as an assistant coach for the Lakers. Away from his basketball and TV career, in his personal life, James is known as a philanthropist and has founded the James Worthy Foundation which dedicates resources to support non-profit community organizations. He was married to Angela Wilder for 12 years, but the couple split in 1996. They have two daughters. James Worthy. James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion. A standout for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the 6 ft 9 in (2.05 m) small forward was the MOP of the 1982 NCAA Tournament and #1 pick of the 1982 NBA Draft. He was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. Worthy was an All-American high school basketball player at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia. Worthy averaged 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists during his senior season, for a team that lost in the state championship game. Worthy was also selected to play in the 1979 McDonald's All-American game that also featured future Naismith Hall of Famers Isiaih Thomas, and Ralph Sampson. Contents. Contents. College basketball career. After graduating high school, Worthy attended the University of North Carolina (UNC). He quickly became a standout at UNC but saw his freshman year cut short by a broken ankle suffered near mid-season. As a sophomore he was a key member of that school's 1981 NCAA runner- up team, playing with Al Wood and Sam Perkins. As a junior power forward, Worthy was the leading scorer (15.6 points per game) of a Tar Heels NCAA championship team which featured future NBA stars Sam Perkins and freshman Michael Jordan. A consensus first team All-American, [1] Worthy shared College Player of the Year honors with Virginia Cavalier Ralph Sampson. [2] The 1982 championship game against the Georgetown Hoyas is notable for Worthy's steal of a pass inadvertently thrown to him by the Hoyas' point guard Fred Brown, which sealed the Tar Heels' 63–62 victory. For the game, Worthy shot 13–17 from the field, scored 28 points and had 4 rebounds, capping a standout performance which won him the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. His tip dunk in front of Patrick Ewing made the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. [3] Following this success, Worthy elected to forgo his senior year and enter the NBA draft. He completed his degree later, via summer school. He is one of eight UNC players to have their numbers retired. [1] Professional basketball career. In the NBA draft, Worthy was chosen first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. Shrewd and opportunistic trade moves made by the Lakers front office, combined with a coin flip victory against the then-San Diego Clippers the year before provided them with the first overall pick, the year after winning the NBA Championship. Worthy immediately made an impact as a rookie, averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting a Laker rookie record .579 field goal percentage. He was also named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team. Worthy thrived in the Laker's fastbreak style with his speed and his dynamic ability to score with either hand and play above the rim. Beyond just finishing a fastbreak with his trademark Statue of Liberty dunks or swooping finger rolls, Worthy was also one of the best baseline post players at the small forward position, with a quick spin move and a deadly turnaround jumpshot. Unfortunately, his rookie year ended on a down note as Worthy broke his leg after coming down awkwardly from a jumpball in one of the last regular season games of the year. Back and healthy for the opening of the 1983–84 season, Worthy's effective play soon had him replacing Jamaal Wilkes in the starting line-up. The Lakers dominated throughout the Western Conference Playoffs and faced the Boston Celtics in the Finals. It was late in Game 2 of the Finals that Worthy made the now-infamous mistake of throwing an errant crosscourt pass that was picked off by Celtic Gerald Henderson and taken in for the game-tying score. Ultimately, the mistake-prone Lakers lost this game in overtime, and lost this series in seven games. "Big Game James" 1985 saw a Laker team that was on a mission of redemption; it was during the play-off run to winning the championship that year that Worthy took a big step forward as a clutch performer. Worthy averaged 21.5 points per game on 62.2% shooting in the playoffs, and it was his inspired play against the Celtics (23.7 points per game in the Finals) [4] that further established Worthy as one of the league's premier players. It was also in 1985, after sustaining an eye injury against the Utah Jazz in March, that Worthy was forced to wear goggles. He wore protective eyewear for the rest of his career. The 1985–86 season, although ending badly for the Lakers after a playoff flameout against the , began the first of seven consecutive All-Star appearances for Worthy. The 1986–87 Championship Laker team, regarded by many as one of the NBA's all time great teams, saw Worthy at the top of his game as he averaged 23.6 points per game in the playoffs. 1988 saw the Lakers pull off a repeat championship, becoming the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to do so. It was during the Finals matchup against the Detroit Pistons that Worthy cemented his reputation as Big Game James . By 1987–88 it was clear an aging Kareem Abdul- Jabbar had to pick his spots; it was Worthy, point guard Magic Johnson, and shooting guard Byron Scott that began to pick up the slack. Against the Pistons, Worthy more than picked up his share and provided 22 points per game 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists game in the series. [5] His 28 points and 9 rebounds in Game 6 and triple double effort of 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 7 of the Finals earned him his first and only Most Valuable Player award. The following season (1988–89), Abdul-Jabbar's last, saw the Lakers again make the NBA Finals in a rematch again the Detroit Pistons. This time, Magic Johnson and Byron Scott missed 3 games due to injuries and the Lakers were swept in four games. Worthy, however, was again in championship form and averaged 25.5 points per game in the Finals, [6] including a playoff career-high scoring effort of 40 points in Game 4. Although of lesser renown than teammates Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, Worthy is regarded as a key contributor to the three NBA championships (1985, 1987, 1988) and the overall success of the Lakers' 1980s basketball dynasty. After the Lakers lost the 1991 Finals to the Chicago Bulls, followed by the sudden retirement of Magic in November 1991, Worthy played for three more seasons. By this time, injuries and mileage caught up with Worthy: A high ankle injury during the 1991 playoffs and season-ending knee surgery in 1992 robbed Worthy of much of his quickness and leaping ability. After struggling with knee pain in the preseason of the 1994–95 season, Worthy announced his retirement in November 1994, after 12 seasons in the NBA. Dubbed " Big Game James " by longtime Tar Heel play-by-play radio broadcaster Woody Durham, Worthy played in 926 NBA regular season games, averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and three assists per game. [7] He played in 143 play-off games and averaged 21.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and had a 54.4 field goal percentage. In 34 NBA Finals games he averaged 22.2 pts per game on 53% shooting. He ranks fifth all-time in Lakers team scoring (16,320), second all-time in team steals (1,041) and sixth all-time in team field goal percentage (.521). Voted one of the top 50 NBA players of all time in 1996, Worthy was not a first-ballot inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, his first year of eligibility. However, he was later inducted into the Hall in 2003. His jersey (#42) is only one of seven retired by the Los Angeles Lakers, alongside (#44) Jerry West, (#13) Wilt Chamberlain, (#22) Elgin Baylor, (#25) Gail Goodrich, (#32) Magic Johnson and (#33) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Current. As of the 2009–10 NBA season, Worthy is the co-host of LTV , the pregame and postgame show for Laker road game telecasts on KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, and also serves as an NBA Analyst for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. As CEO of Worthy Enterprises, Worthy engages with companies to help them enhance sales and marketing initiatives, improve company culture and teamwork, charitable fundraising, and community relations. Worthy also dedicates a substantial amount of his time and resources to support non-profit community organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers of America, YMCA, and others. Worthy was married to Angela Wilder from 1984–1996 and they have two daughters, Sable and Sierra Worthy. How James Worthy’s Dad Convinced Him to Wear No. 42 for the Lakers. With today being April 15, which has been Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball for quite some time now, I thought I’d take a different approach to this special day and dig into why James Worthy wore No. 42 with the Los Angeles Lakers. And it didn’t surprise me a bit to find out that there is a Jackie Robinson connection, although it didn’t come from “Big Game” James himself, but rather through his father and grandfather. In the history of the NBA, 165 players have worn the No. 42, including Worthy’s former coach Pat Riley. Here’s a look at how the best of the bunch came to wear the famous number. James Worthy wore No. 52 at North Carolina. While most may remember James Worthy wearing No. 42 with the Los Angeles Lakers, he actually wore No. 52 when he played for North Carolina, a number that has since been retired. Worthy is one of just eight Tar Heels to have his jersey in the rafters, a list that also includes Michael Jordan. Worthy began his career at Chapel Hill in 1979 following a stellar senior season at Ashbrook High School, where he earned All-American honors. Worthy made an immediate impact at North Carolina but his freshman season was cut short when he broke his ankle. But he came back strong in the 1980-1981 season, averaging 14.2 points and helping lead the team to the NCAA title game, losing to Indiana. However, alongside Jordan and future Lakers teammate Sam Perkins, James Worthy led UNC back to the title game in 1982 and won the national championship. Worthy won numerous awards his junior year, including First Team All-American honors and the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He would continue his success in the NBA but had to choose a different number to wear. No. 52 wasn’t available with the Lakers so he chose No. 42 because his dad loved Jackie Robinson. The Lakers made James Worthy the top overall pick in the 1982 NBA draft. Never before and not since has the defending champion made the top selection but a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a lucky coin toss made it possible and Worthy was the obvious choice. He was a perfect fit alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but there was just one problem: James Worthy couldn’t wear No. 52 as it already belonged to Jamaal Wilkes, who would later see that number raised to the rafters. So Worthy actually talked things over with his father and later told Fox Sports why he decided to go with No. 42. “I had worn No. 52 since high school and when I got to Los Angeles, Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes had it. I was talking to my dad and I said, ‘You know, 52 is out of the question,’ and I thought about 50 or 51. “My dad was a big baseball fan and so was my grandfather (the late Ager Worthy). They had always told me stories about the old players and the old Negro Leagues, about Satchel Paige and some of the great players. My dad had told me about Jackie Robinson and said, ‘Why don’t you wear No. 42 to recognize Jackie?’’’ James Worthy on how he chose No. 42. It took James Worthy less than an hour to decide to wear No. 42 and the rest is history. James Worthy’s No. 42 was retired by the Lakers following a Hall of Fame career. Wearing No. 42, James Worthy had a great career with the Lakers. It didn’t take long for him to become an important piece of the puzzle during LA’s championship runs in the 1980s. Worthy won three NBA titles, winning 1988 NBA Finals MVP, and was a seven-time NBA All-Star, also earning two All-NBA Third Team selections. His 16,320 points is good for sixth on the all-time Lakers scoring list. James Worthy retired from the NBA in 1994. In 1995, the Lakers honored him by retiring his No. 42 jersey and the following year, he was named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players as part of the league’s 50th-anniversary celebration. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.