James
Worthy
James
Ager Worthy (b. February 27, 1961 in Gastonia, North Carolina)
is an American former college and professional basketball
player. Standing 6 ft 9 in (2.05 m), he played small forward.
Worthy
was a stand-out basketball player for the University of
North Carolina Tar Heels and a key member of that school's
1982 NCAA championship team. In that year's championship
game against the Georgetown Hoyas, Worthy's freshman teammate,
Michael Jordan, made the final shot to give North Carolina
the lead. On Georgetown's subsequent possession, Worthy
stole the ball to seal the Tar Heels' victory.
Worthy
was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers as the first overall
pick of the 1982 NBA Draft. As a Laker, he contributed
to three NBA championships in 1985, 1987, and 1988. He
was best known for his one-handed "Statue of Liberty" slam
dunk. Although lesser known than teammates Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
and Magic Johnson, his teammates have regarded him as an
important part of the Lakers' success. As the recipient
of Magic's dazzling passes, he was a great finisher due
his ability to glide seemingly effortlessly through the
air to the basket. He was a member of the 1983 NBA all-rookie
team (unanimous choice). His 36 points, 16 rebounds, and
10 assist in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals earned him Most
Valuable Player. He began wearing eye goggles after suffering
a severe eye injury during the 1984-1985 season.
Nicknamed
by longtime Lakers color commentator Chick Hearn as "Big
Game James", Worthy played in 926 NBA games, had a
career field goal percentage of .521, and averaged 17.6
points per game (21.1 points per playoff game). He was
a first-ballot inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame
in 2003. His jersey (#42) was retired by the Los Angeles
Lakers after his retirement.
As of
the 2005-2006 NBA season, Worthy works as a color commentator
for Lakers game telecasts and highlights on KCAL and KCBS
television stations in Los Angeles. He also has been senior
vice president of RP & Associates, a marketing company
in Hermosa Beach, California, since February of 2005.
Awards
- All-NBA
Third Team twice (1990, '91)
- NBA
All-Rookie Team (1983) as he averaged 13.4 points and
5.2 rebounds per game
- NBA
Finals MVP (1988)
- NBA
All-Star seven times (1986-92)
- All-time
record for highest field goal percentage in a five-game
series (.721) (1985)
- Highest
field goal percentage for a rookie in Laker history (.579)
- Averaged
17.6 ppg and 5.1 rpg and 3.0 apg in 926 career games;
averaged 21.1 ppg and 5.2
rpg in
143 career playoff games
- In
Laker history, he is fifth in scoring (16,320 points),
second in steals (1,041)
and sixth
in field goal percentage (.521)
- Retired
as the 54th leading scorer in NBA history with 16,320
points
- One
of seven Lakers to have his number (#42) retired
- NBA's
50th Anniversary All-Time team (1996)
James Worthy. (2007, January 6). In Wikipedia,
The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:48, January 12, 2007,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Worthy&oldid=98779733
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