James Worthy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Small Forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | February 27, 1961 Gastonia, North Carolina |
| High school | Ashbrook Gastonia, North Carolina |
| College | University of North Carolina |
| Draft | 1st overall, 1982 Los Angeles Lakers |
| Pro career | 1982–1994 |
| Former teams | Los Angeles Lakers (1982–1994) |
| Awards |
|
| Hall of Fame | 2003 |
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 play-by-play man 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). Despite being 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 1999. However, he was later inducted into the Hall in 2003. His jersey (#42) was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers shortly after his retirement.
As of 2007, Worthy works as an in-studio analyst for Laker game telecasts on KCAL television in Los Angeles, and for NBA and college basketball highlights on KCBS television, also in Los Angeles. He also has been senior vice president of RP & Associates, a marketing company in Hermosa Beach, California, since February of 2005. Worthy was married to Angela Wilder from 1984-1996 and they have two daughters, Sable and Sierra Worthy.
In 1990, Worthy was arrested in Houston and charged with solicitation of prostitution. He was in the city with the Lakers for a game against the Houston Rockets. According to the police, prior to the game, Worthy called a local escort service and requested that two women be sent to meet him in his hotel room. Unbeknownst to Worthy, police had already shut down the escort service, and they instead sent two undercover vice squad officers to the hotel to meet him. [1] A month later, Worthy pleaded no contest to both charges. He was sentenced to one year of probation, fined $1,000 USD and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service. [2]
[edit] Trivia
- Worthy appeared as a Klingon in a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled "Gambit".
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE0DF1F30F935A25752C1A966958260
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5D81030F936A25751C1A966958260
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Julie Shea |
ACC Athlete of the Year 1982 |
Succeeded by Ralph Sampson |
| Preceded by Isiah Thomas |
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (men's) 1982 |
Succeeded by Akeem Olajuwon |
| Preceded by Mark Aguirre |
NBA first overall draft pick 1982 NBA Draft |
Succeeded by Ralph Sampson |
Categories: 1961 births | Living people | Basketball players from North Carolina | African American basketball players | Basketball Hall of Fame | North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame | North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players | Los Angeles Lakers players | McDonald's High School All-Americans | ACC Athlete of the Year
