James Worthy
James Worthy was born in Gastonia, North Carolina, United States on February 27th, 1961 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 63, James Worthy biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 63 years old, James Worthy has this physical status:
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who now serves as a commentator, television host, and analyst.
"Big Game James," the 1988 NBA All-Star, three-time NBA champion, and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, was named one of the Top 50 players in NBA history. (NBA). The small forward shared College Player of the Year awards en route to leading his team to the 1982 NCAA championship was a standout for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
He was No. 1 in the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. The Los Angeles Lakers have a pick from the 1982 NBA draft.
Early life
Worthy was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. During his senior season at Ashbrook High, he averaged 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He was chosen to participate in the 1979 McDonald's All-American Game, which featured future Hall of Famers including Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and Ralph Sampson.
Personal life
Worthy was married for 12 years to Angela Wilder, whom he first met in 1981 at the University of North Carolina, where she served as a cheerleader while playing. Before divorcing in 1996, the couple had two children.
Worthy was arrested in Houston on November 14, 1990, and charged with two counts of solicitation of prostitution in a Houston police department sting operation. He was sentenced to one year of probation, fined $1,000, and told to complete 40 hours of community service.
College career
Worthy attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after graduating from high school. His debut as a freshman was cut short due to a fractured ankle. He was a key member of the UNC's 1981 NCAA runner-up team, alongside Al Wood and Sam Perkins, as a sophomore.
Worthy, a junior power forward, was the leading scorer (15.6 points per game) of a Tar Heels NCAA championship team, with future NBA stars Sam Perkins and freshman Michael Jordan as among the best collections of talent in collegiate basketball history. Worthy, a consensus first-team All-American, was named co-winner of the Helms Foundation Player of the Year with Ralph Sampson of Virginia. He dominated the 1982 championship match against the Georgetown Hoyas, sealing the Tar Heels' 63–62 victory by intercepting an inadvertent pass delivered by Hoya point guard Fred Brown with just seconds remaining. His 13–17 shooting, 28 point, 4 rebound finale captained a memorable campaign in the NCAA tournament, winning him the Most Outstanding Player award. The cover of Sports Illustrated had a tip dunk in front of Patrick Ewing's captioned "James Worthy slams the door on Georgetown."
Worthy decided to forego his senior year and enter the NBA draft as a result of his recent success. He earned his degree later this year after attending summer school. The Tar Heels have cut him out of eight players, including him. Worthy was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team in 2002, in honor of the fifty top players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
NBA career
In a 1979 trade for Don Ford, the Los Angeles Lakers got the Cleveland Cavaliers' 1982 first-round draft pick. The Cavaliers had their worst record in the 1981–82 season, leaving a coin toss to determine whether they or the worst record runner-up San Diego Clippers would be the first overall pick in the forthcoming draft. The Lakers won the flip for the first time and only time in NBA history. They selected Worthy over Dominique Wilkins and Terry Cummings.
The lanky little forward made an immediate impact as a rookie, scoring 13.4 points per game and shooting a Laker rookie record of.579 field goal percentage. Worthy's "Showtime" offense carried him, with his agility, explosive ability to score with either hand, and stunning play above the rim. Worthy, who did not finish fast breaks with his trademark Statue of Liberty dunks or swooping finger rolls, was also one of the best post players at his time, with a quick spin move off the low blocks and a deadly turnaround midrange jump shot. His rookie year came just as he was hitting his stride on April 10, 1983, while landing incorrectly after trying to tap in a missed shot against the Phoenix Suns. He was still selected to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team, but the Lakers were swept 4–0 by the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals, but he missed the remainder of the season and playoffs.
Worthy's fast play soon had him replacing All-Star and fan-favorite Jamaal Wilkes in the starting lineup. The Lakers dominated the Western Conference Playoffs and met the Boston Celtics in the Finals. Worthy made an error-free cross-court call that was picked off by Gerald Henderson and brought in the game-tying score, resulting in the Celtics' victory in overtime. The series will run for seven games, with Boston winning. Worthy's Finals were a success, with 22.1 pts per game (second to Jabbar) on 63.8% shooting. The Lakers will be resentful about the loss and excited about 1985.
In 1985, the Lakers' "showtime" team dominated the West and returned to the NBA Finals. Worthy emerged as a feared clutch player in the playoffs and 23.7 points per game during a match-up against the Celtics in the championship series. His all-round play aided the team in a 4–2 victory cinched on the old Boston Garden's celebrated parquet floor, naming him as one of the league's best players. Worthy first wore goggles after suffering a scratched cornea in a March 13 game at the Utah Jazz and wearing them for the remainder of his career.
The 1985–86 season for the Lakers, who then dominated the regular season and seemed to be headed straight for Boston once more. Worthy continued to improve, going from 17.6 to 20 points per game on 58% shooting, and he was named to the first of seven consecutive All-Star appearances. Ralph Sampson, a 7' 4" Houston Rockets fan, lost in a preternatural tip in the Western Conference final by 7' 4" with the Rockets going on to be subbed by the Celtics in the Championship series.
With stalwart center Abdul-Jabbar finally showing signs of his age, the Lakers signed center Mychal Thompson in 1986-1987 to address the need for frontcourt assistance. The result was a 65–17 record and what some saw as one of the NBA's all-time great teams battling for their second NBA title over the Celtics. Worthy was at the top of his game, leading the team to 23.6 points per game in the playoffs. During this '87 play-off run, he had a string of big games, in particular, a 122-121 victory over Seattle, which included 6 dunks), as well as 33 points 10 assists 9 rebounds in a game 1 victory over the Celtics. The Lakers won the championship 4 games to 2 in two games over the summer.
In 1987–88, Riley pushed the Lakers to their limits. Worthy averaged 19.7 points and scored a career-high 38 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the regular season. In the 1988 play-offs, he was a leader in scoring and led the NBA in points scored during the play-offs. During the Finals against the Pistons Worthy, the Pistons Worthy had once more excelled, averaging 22 ppg, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in the series. Worthy received the NBA Finals MVP and the Lakers the first back-to-back championships since the 1970 Celtics, a 28-point, 9 rebound Game 6 and a dazzling 36–16–10 triple-double that carried the Lakers to victory in Game 7 earned Worthy the NBA Finals MVP award and the Lakers the first back-to-back championships in the NBA since the '68-69 Celtics.
The Lakers marched through the regular season and met the Pistons for their second time in the Finals, with Riley clamoring for a "Three-peat" in 1988-89. Even Worthy's play-off best was not nearly enough, with Abdul-Jabbar playing his last games and Johnson and Byron Scott missing three more due to injuries. Despite averaging a career-high 25.5 ppg and including a career-high 40 points in Game 4, the Lakers were swept in four.
Despite internal tension that had existed during Pat Riley's last year as head coach, the Lakers' 63–19 record was the NBA's highest ever. Worthy averaged 21.1 points per game and became the first NBA player to shoot at least 53% in both of his first eight seasons. Despite Johnson (25.2 ppg) and Worthy (24.2 ppg) in the play-offs, LA lost in the Conference semifinals to a fiery Phoenix Suns team.
The Lakers once more won the West in 1991 and then advanced to the Finals in 1991 with former North Carolina Tarheel star Sam Perkins at center. Worthy was unfortunate to suffer a high ankle sprain in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Blazers, and was extremely limited going into the Chicago Bulls. Despite losing in Game 1 in Chicago, the Bulls squad led by another teammate from the 1982 NCAA Championship team, an emergent Michael Jordan, wasn't strong enough against a soaring Bulls squad led by another teammate from the 1982 NCAA Championship team. The Lakers ultimately lost in five, with Worthy sidelined for Game 5 after re-injuring his ankle the previous season.
Johnson's sudden death in November 1991 brought the Lakers franchise into disarray. Worthy's days were quickly ended due to injuries and high mileage. The ankle injury suffered during the 1991 playoffs and season-ending knee surgery in 1992 robbed a lot of his energy and jumping ability, as well as his ability to finish on the fast break and drive to the hoop to score. Worthy, who suffered with knee pain in the 1994–95 season and no promises of another championship run in any foreseeable future, has announced his retirement in November 1994, after 12 seasons in the NBA.