“He was always such a quiet guy. 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. James Doug Worthy. 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. After struggling with knee pain in the 1994–95 preseason, Worthy announced his retirement in November 1994, after 12 seasons in the NBA. Worthy played in 926 NBA regular season games, averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and three assists per game. 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. James Worthy, 52 AKA: james r worthy, james r worthy, james r worthy, james roland worthy, worthy james roland, james roland worthy, james r worthy 400 Gwynnwest Rd, It was back to the Finals again 1991, thanks to Worthy's team-leading and career high 21.4 ppg and the addition of Tarheel frontcourt star Sam Perkins. Fully recovered, Worthy became an All-Atlantic Coast Conference forward as a sophomore. James Worthy in the US . Worthy was married to Angela Wilder from 1984 to 1996; they have two daughters, Sable and Sierra Worthy. “James Worthy was one of the top 10 — top five — players in playoff history,” Johnson stated at Worthy’s retirement news conference. On most NBA teams, Worthy would have been the immediate star; on the Lakers, he had to serve an apprenticeship. He averaged 21.5 points per game on 62.2% shooting in the playoffs, and his play and 23.7 points per game against the Celtics in the Finals[7] confirmed him as one of the league's premier players. James Worthy was born on February 27, 1961 in Gastonia, North Carolina, USA as James Ager Worthy. In 1984-85, L.A. was the dominant team in the league. “Even though he was the No. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLC’s Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network. 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. In 1990-91, Worthy averaged 21.4 points, his highest single-season mark. 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. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA champion and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP. The Tar Heels stormed through the regular season. Next. In the 1984 NBA Finals, Los Angeles lost to Boston in a thrilling seven-game series that included two overtime games. 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. “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. show Webster as himself in his early career. He completed his degree later, via summer school. And James Worthy had arrived, becoming the third-leading scorer (17.6) and second-leading rebounder (6.4) on the club. Named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, he was #1 pick of the 1982 NBA draft of the reigning NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. His highlight reel contributions to the team's 1985, 1987, and 1988 championships were an exclamation point on LA's 1980s basketball dynasty. Choose an adventure below and discover your next favorite movie or TV show. [6] He was still named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team but missed the rest of the season and playoffs. Sign in. The first, of course, was Magic in ’79. 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. He is one of eight UNC players to have their numbers retired.[3]. He shared Player of the Year honors with Virginia’s Ralph Sampson. Worthy was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. Age 88 years old . “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. The UNC squad reached the 1982 NCAA championship game as the slight favorite over Georgetown and Patrick Ewing. James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is a retired Hall of Fame American professional basketball player. Worthy nevertheless put together a respectable rookie campaign. 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. Worthy started 53 games, and the Lakers had the nucleus that would carry them to NBA titles in three of the next five years.