Looking for something to watch? [9] A 28-point, 9 rebound Game 6 and explosive 36/16/10 triple double that sealed victory in Game 7 of the Finals cinched him the NBA Finals MVP award. May 16, 2018 - Explore Steve Wood's board "JAMES WORTHY", followed by 405 people on Pinterest. 1 draft choice the Lakers have had since moving to California in 1960. 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. Late in Game 2 Worthy made an errant cross-court pass that was picked off and taken in for the game-tying score. However, he was later inducted into the Hall in 2003. In the 1984 NBA Finals, Los Angeles lost to Boston in a thrilling seven-game series that included two overtime games. After graduating high school, Worthy attended the University of North Carolina (UNC). When that pick turned out to be the No. In spite of stepped up performances by both Johnson (25.2 ppg) and Worthy (24.2 ppg) in the play-offs, LA fell in the Conference semifinals to the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers dominated throughout the Western Conference Playoffs and faced the Boston Celtics in the Finals. Worthy, however, excelled, beginning the first of seven consecutive All-Star appearances. Worthy is the founder of the James Worthy Foundation,[15] and 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. on Related . Averaging 21.5 points and 12.5 rebounds as a senior at Ashbrook, Worthy was a unanimous selection as a prep All-American. Los Angeles had the best record in the league both years, winning 65 games in 1986-87 and 62 in 1987-88. “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. It really made me wake up and expose myself to all kinds of people — not confine myself to just basketball.”. [6] He was still named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team but missed the rest of the season and playoffs. And James Worthy had arrived, becoming the third-leading scorer (17.6) and second-leading rebounder (6.4) on the club. That was the last of the Lakers’ NBA championships during the Magic-Kareem-Worthy era. He completed his degree later, via summer school. to post a message. His 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game during his senior season at Ashbrook High led the team to the state championship game. The Lakers struggled through the 1988 postseason, surviving seven-game series against both the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks before facing the Pistons in the NBA Finals. 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. It looks like love is knocking on the door of ESPN’s legendary analyst Stephen A. Smith. A tip dunk in front of Patrick Ewing captioned "James Worthy slams the door on Georgetown" made the cover of Sports Illustrated. A standout at the University of North Carolina, the 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) small forward shared College Player of the Year honors[2] en route to leading the Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA Championship. The next two seasons proved to be the peak of not only Worthy’s career but of the Lakers’ dominance in the 1980s. Magic Johnson sudden retirement in November 1991 threw the Lakers franchise for a loop. As the team’s fortunes declined, however, Worthy’s role continued to grow. During the 1979-80 season, the Lakers sent Don Ford and a ’80 first-round pick (which became Chad Kinch) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Butch Lee and the Cavs’ first-round pick in ’82. Named both a Parade Magazine and McDonald's All-American, he was selected to play in the 1979 McDonald's All-American Game that featured future NBA Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins and Ralph Sampson. Worthy led the Lakers in minutes played in 1988-89 (36.5) and averaged 20.5 points. The Tar Heels stormed through the regular season. The lanky small forward immediately made an impact as a rookie, averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting a Laker rookie record .579 field goal percentage. 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. After struggling with knee pain in the 1994–95 preseason, Worthy announced his retirement in November 1994, after 12 seasons in the NBA. But astute trading had given Los Angeles the top pick in the Draft. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 1 overall selection, the Lakers claimed Worthy, who had decided to pass up his senior year at North Carolina. Sign in. Then, midway through his freshman campaign, Worthy slipped on a wet spot on the Carmichael Auditorium floor and broke his ankle. In spite of averaging a career Finals high 25.5 ppg,[10] including a career high 40 points trying to stave off elimination in Game 4, the Lakers were swept in four. The Lakers won, the first and only time for a reigning league champion. The Lakers had won the NBA championship in ’82, and they had one of the league’s top small forwards in Jamaal Wilkes. Check out our editors' picks for our favorite Prime Video original movies and TV series, including "The Boys," "Fleabag," and more. ABC (007), Sun, Nov 15 In 1984-85, L.A. was the dominant team in the league. When James Worthy retired before the 1994-95 season, it was fitting that Earvin “Magic” Johnson was there to describe Worthy’s career. His assists increased to 3.5 in 1987-88. Worthy had posted a field-goal percentage higher than .530 in each of his first eight seasons 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. fadeawayworld.net | 28d. Choose an adventure below and discover your next favorite movie or TV show. “Now I find myself in that situation. [5] The Cavaliers finished with the NBA's worst record in the 1981–82 season, leaving a coin toss to decide whether they or the worst record runner-up San Diego Clippers would get the number one pick in the upcoming draft. Again, Worthy rose to the occasion in the postseason, scoring 21.5. Plus, we had lost to them the year before, so we had a lot of incentive.”. Fully recovered, Worthy became an All-Atlantic Coast Conference forward as a sophomore. 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. Lived in Lakeland and Polk City, FL. When not finishing fast breaks with his trademark Statue of Liberty dunks or swooping finger rolls, Worthy was also one of the best post players at his position, with a quick spin move and a deadly turnaround jumpshot. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. The 1985–86 season held tremendous promise for the Lakers, which all disappeared in a preternatural tip in 1986 NBA Playoffs by 7' 4" Houston Rockets star Ralph Sampson. His stardom at the University of North Carolina seemed assured. on “That told me he was a team player, and a winner too. Comments / 0. “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. 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. The Lakers fell in five games. A fourth ring beckoned in 1988–89, but it was not to be. Worthy played in 926 NBA regular season games, averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and three assists per game. Injuries and high mileage spelled the end for Worthy. “Even though he was the No. He also played himself in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. The Lakers ran hot again in 1989–90, their 63-19 record the NBA's best.
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