James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Worthy was a seven-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

, a two-time

All-NBA Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

member who won three NBA championships and was voted the

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven medi ...

(MVP) in 1988. He was named to both the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. A standout

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

player for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

, the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

was a consensus first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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.

Early life

Worthy was born in

Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the most populous city in and the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte area, behind Concord, North Carolina, Concord. The po ...

. 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. Named both a ''Parade Magazine'' and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

All-American, he was selected to play in the 1979

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

, which featured future fellow Hall of Famers including

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

Dominique Wilkins Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is a French-born American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins is a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seve ...

, and

Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...

College career

After graduating from high school, Worthy attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. An immediate standout as a freshman, his debut was cut short near mid-season by a broken ankle. As a sophomore, he was a key member of UNC's 1981 NCAA runner-up team starring alongside 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 that featured one of the greatest collections of talent in collegiate basketball history, including future NBA stars sophomore Sam Perkins and freshman

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

. A consensus first-team

,UNC Men's Basketball Media Guide
, 2007, p. 95. Worthy was named co-winner of the Helms Foundation Player of the Year with

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He dominated the 1982 championship game against the Georgetown Hoyas, sealing the Tar Heels' 63–62 victory by intercepting an inadvertent pass thrown by Hoya point guard Fred Brown with just seconds remaining. His 13–17 shooting, 28 point, 4 rebound finale capped a standout performance throughout the NCAA tournament, earning him its Most Outstanding Player award. A tip dunk in front of

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

captioned "James Worthy slams the door on Georgetown" made the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''. In the wake of 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 players to have their numbers retired by the Tar Heels. In 2002, Worthy was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty greatest players in

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

history.

Professional career

Number 1 pick

The

had received the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

' 1982 first-round draft pick in a 1979 exchange for Don Ford. The

Cavaliers The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...

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 first overall pick in the upcoming draft. The Lakers won the flip, the first and only time a reigning NBA champion picked first overall. They chose Worthy over

and Terry Cummings.

1982–1983

The lanky

immediately made an impact as a rookie, averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting a Laker rookie record .579 field goal percentage. With his speed, dynamic ability to score with either hand, and dazzling play above the rim, Worthy thrived in the Lakers' high-octane " Showtime" offense. When not finishing

fast break Fast break is an offensive strategy in basketball and handball. In a fast break, a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible, so that the defense is outnumbered and does not have time to set up. The ...

s 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 off the low blocks and a deadly turnaround midrange jumpshot. His rookie year ended just when he was hitting his stride, breaking his leg on April 10, 1983, while landing improperly after trying to tap in a missed shot against the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. He was still named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team but missed the rest of the season and playoffs, with the Lakers being swept 4–0 by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

in the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

1983–1984

Back and healthy for the opening of the 1983–84 season, Worthy began the season as a starter at power forward in place of Kurt Rambis, who was on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

. By December, Lakers head coach

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

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 The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' 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 The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starting lineup, starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in, and the first to be used against the other team's subst ...

and was also prone to foul trouble. He developed into one of the league's top small forwards. He remained as a reserve even when

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

small forward Jamaal Wilkes was sidelined by a gastrointestinal illness during the playoffs, as Riley opted to start

Michael Cooper Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956), nicknamed "Coop", is an American basketball coach and former player. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers during his entire career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning five NBA champ ...

instead. However, Worthy became a starter in the final game of the Western Conference finals against the Suns. He was essential for the Lakers during the

1984 NBA Finals The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Wes ...

against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. Late in Game 2, Worthy made an errant cross-court pass that was stolen by Gerald Henderson and taken in for the game-tying score, leading to a Celtics win in overtime. Boston won the series in seven games. Worthy had a very strong Finals, with 22.1 pts per game (second to Abdul-Jabbar) on 63.8% shooting. The Lakers would go into the off-season bitter about the loss and motivated for 1985.

1984–1985

Worthy began the 1984–85 season as a reserve, while Wilkes returned as the starting small forward. After the Lakers opened the season slowly and were outrebounded in each of their first four games, Riley started Worthy in place of Rambis. "We're looking for rebounding. We're experimenting", said the coach. A few games later, Riley replaced Wilkes in the starting lineup with Larry Spriggs. The Lakers dominated the West and returned to the NBA Finals. During the play-off run Worthy emerged as a feared clutch performer, averaging 21.5 points per game on 62.2% shooting in the playoffs and 23.7 points per game in a match-up against the Celtics in the championship series. His all-round play helped lead the team to a 4–2 victory clinched on the celebrated parquet floor of the old

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...

and confirmed him as one of the league's premier players. It was also in 1985 that Worthy first donned goggles after suffering a scratched cornea during a March 13 game at the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, wearing them for the rest of his career.

1985–1986

James Worthy attempting layup vs Houston Rockets 1986-05-17

The 1985–86 season held tremendous promise for the Lakers, who again stormed through the regular season and seemed destined to meet Boston once again. Worthy continued to improve, raising his scoring from 17.6 to 20 points per game on 58% shooting and was named to the first of seven consecutive

appearances. A trip to the Finals disappeared in a preternatural tip in the Western Conference final by 7' 4"

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

star

, with the Rockets going on to be drubbed by the Celtics in the Championship series.

1986–1987

With stalwart center Abdul-Jabbar finally showing signs of his age the Lakers added center-forward

Mychal Thompson Mychal George Thompson (born January 30, 1955) is a Bahamian sports commentator and former professional basketball player. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and cen ...

during the 1986–1987 regular season to address the need for frontcourt help. The result was a 65–17 record and what many regard as one of the NBA's all-time great teams sprinting to another NBA title over the Celtics. Worthy was at the top of his game, leading the team with 23.6 points per game in the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. He had a number of huge games during this '87 play-off run, in particular a vintage 39 point performance (including 6 dunks) in a 122–121 win at Seattle in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and 33 pts 10 assists 9 rebounds in a game 1 victory in the NBA

versus the Celtics. The Lakers won the championship 4 games to 2.

1987–1988

Once again Riley drove the Lakers hard in 1987–88. During the regular season Worthy averaged 19.7 points and scored 38 points against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. He led the Lakers in scoring in the 1988 play-offs and led the NBA in points scored during the play-offs. During the

against the

Pistons A piston is an engineering component of engines and pumps. Piston(s) may also refer to: Science and technology * Misnomer for a hydraulic cylinder * Piston (optics) * Piston (subcellular structure) * Piston valve * Fire piston, an ancient device ...

Worthy once again excelled, averaging 22 ppg, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in the series. A 28-point, 9 rebound Game 6 and monster 36–16–10 triple-double that carried the Lakers to victory in Game 7 earned Worthy the

NBA Finals MVP The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven medi ...

award and the Lakers the first back-to-back titles in the NBA since '68–'69 Celtics.

1988–1989

With Riley clamoring for a "Three-peat" in 1988–89 the Lakers marched through the regular season and met the

for an encore in the

. With Abdul-Jabbar playing his last games and Johnson and

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a role player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during the ...

missing three due to injuries even Worthy at his play-off best was not nearly enough. In spite of averaging a career Finals high 25.5 ppg, including a career-high 40 points trying to stave off elimination in Game 4, the Lakers were swept in four.

1989–1990

The Lakers ran hot again in 1989–90 despite internal friction that had developed during Pat Riley's final year as head coach, their 63–19 record the NBA's best. Worthy averaged 21.1 points per game and became the first player in NBA history to shoot at least 53% in each of his first eight seasons. 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 a hot

team.

1990–1991

The Lakers once more won the West in 1991 and marched through the

to the

thanks to Worthy's team-leading and career-high 21.4 ppg in '91 and the addition of former North Carolina Tarheel star Sam Perkins at center. Unfortunately, Worthy suffered a high ankle sprain in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Blazers and was very limited heading into the Finals against the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. Despite LA pulling out a Game 1 victory in Chicago it ultimately wasn't enough against a surging Bulls squad led by another teammate from the 1982 NCAA Championship team, an emergent

. The Lakers ultimately fell in five, with Worthy sidelined for Game 5 after re-injuring his ankle the previous game.

Retirement

Johnson's sudden retirement in November 1991 threw the Lakers franchise into disarray. Injuries and high mileage soon spelled the end for Worthy. The high ankle injury during the 1991 playoffs and season-ending knee surgery in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

robbed much of his quickness and leaping ability, and with it both his ability to finish on the fast break and drive to the hoop to score. After struggling with knee pain in the 1994–95 preseason and no prospects of another title run in any foreseeable future, Worthy announced his retirement in November 1994, after 12 seasons in the NBA.

"Big Game James"

Even on Lakers teams dominated by fellow Hall of Fame members Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, Worthy stood out as a star during their years together. He led the Lakers in playoff scoring in their championship runs in 1987 (23.6) and 1988 (21.1) and was second to Abdul-Jabbar in the 1985 championship run (21.5). He always saved his best for the playoffs and averaged 3.5 points higher per game than in the regular season. That, his heroics in the 1982 NCAA Championship game alongside Michael Jordan, spectacular offensive displays, and flashes of defensive brilliance, cemented his legacy as "Big Game James". Worthy played in 926 NBA regular-season games, averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and three assists per game. He played in 143 playoff 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. Worthy played in 4 Game 7s in his career and averaged 27 points and 8.2 rebounds on 60% shooting in these winner-take-all contests. He ranks sixth all-time in Lakers team scoring (16,320), third all-time in team steals (1,041) and seventh all-time in team field goal percentage (.521). Worthy was voted one of the

50 Greatest Players in NBA History The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...

in 1996 and named to the

NBA 75th Anniversary Team The NBA 75th Anniversary Team, also referred to as the NBA 75, was chosen in 2021 to honor the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the fourth and most recent anniversary team in the league. S ...

in 2021. To commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary ''

The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...

'' ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Worthy as the 59th greatest player in NBA history. Worthy was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2003. His jersey No. 42 was retired by the Lakers.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 77 , , 1 , , 25.6 , , .579 , , .250 , , .624 , , 5.2 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 53 , , 29.5 , , .556 , , .000 , , .759 , , 6.3 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .9 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 80 , , 76 , , 33.7 , , .572 , , .000 , , .776 , , 6.4 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 75 , , 73 , , 32.7 , , .579 , , .000 , , .771 , , 5.2 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 82 , , 34.4 , , .539 , , .000 , , .751 , , 5.7 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 19.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 75 , , 72 , , 35.4 , , .531 , , .125 , , .796 , , 5.0 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 19.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 81 , , 81 , , 36.5 , , .548 , , .087 , , .782 , , 6.0 , , 3.6 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 80 , , 80 , , 37.0 , , .548 , , .306 , , .782 , , 6.0 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 78 , , 74 , , 38.6 , , .492 , , .289 , , .797 , , 4.6 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 54 , , 54 , , 39.0 , , .447 , , .209 , , .814 , , 5.6 , , 4.7 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 69 , , 28.8 , , .447 , , .270 , , .810 , , 3.0 , , 3.4 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 80 , , 2 , , 20.0 , , .406 , , .288 , , .741 , , 2.3 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .2 , , 10.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 926 , , 717 , , 32.4 , , .521 , , .241 , , .769 , , 5.1 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 17.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 21 , , 0 , , 33.7 , , .599 , , .500 , , .609 , , 5.0 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 19 , , 19 , , 32.9 , , .622 , , .500 , , .676 , , 5.1 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , .7 , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 14 , , 14 , , 38.5 , , .558 , , .000 , , .681 , , 4.6 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 18 , , 18 , , 37.8 , , .591 , , .000 , , .753 , , 5.6 , , 3.5 , , 1.6 , , 1.2 , , 23.6 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1988† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 24 , , 24 , , 37.3 , , .523 , , .111 , , .758 , , 5.8 , , 4.4 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 15 , , 15 , , 40.0 , , .567 , , .375 , , .788 , , 6.7 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 24.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 9 , , 9 , , 40.7 , , .497 , , .250 , , .837 , , 5.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 24.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 18 , , 18 , , 40.7 , , .465 , , .167 , , .736 , , 4.1 , , 3.9 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 5 , , 0 , , 29.6 , , .372 , , .250 , , .600 , , 3.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 13.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 143 , , 117 , , 37.0 , , .544 , , .209 , , .727 , , 5.2 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 21.1

Post-NBA

TV career

Worthy is a studio analyst for Spectrum SportsNet and co-host of ''Access SportsNet'', the networks' pregame and postgame show for Lakers game telecasts on in Los Angeles; he also served as an NBA analyst for

KCBS-TV KCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS Los Angeles, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship station of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the n ...

in Los Angeles. Worthy has acted in several television shows. He portrayed the Klingon Koral in the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " Gambit, Part II". He also guest starred as himself on ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American television sitcom created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch and Wor ...

'' and '' Webster''.

Coaching career

On September 28, 2015, Worthy was hired to work with the Lakers coaching staff with a focus on the team's big men.

Personal life

Worthy was married for 12 years to Angela Wilder, whom he met in 1981 at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

where she was a cheerleader while he was playing. The couple had two daughters before divorcing in 1996. On November 14, 1990, Worthy was arrested in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, and charged with two counts of solicitation of prostitution in a Houston Police Department sting operation. He was sentenced to one year of

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

, fined $1,000 and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service.

Philanthropy

Worthy is the founder of the James Worthy Foundation, 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.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Worthy, James 1961 births 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players College basketball announcers in the United States First overall NBA draft picks Living people Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars NBA broadcasters NBA players with retired numbers North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Small forwards Basketball players from Gastonia, North Carolina