Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best small forwards in team history
By Amaar Burton
2. James Worthy (1982-94)
“Big Game James” could’ve been the No. 1 option scoring 25 points per game and contending for league MVP with a lot of NBA teams during the 1980s and 1990s.
Thanks to the luck of a coin flip, he wound up being viewed as the No. 3 man in the Los Angeles Lakers’ hierarchy for the bulk of his career.
In that role, Worthy still managed to earn seven All-Star berths and two All-NBA nods, win three championships, win Finals MVP, and make it into the Hall of Fame.
Worthy was a national champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1982 when he entered the NBA Draft. The Lakers went into that draft as the newly-crowned NBA champions, but they owned the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round pick due to a previous trade.
The Cavs were the worst team in the league, but the Lakers got to take their spot in the coin flip versus the Clippers (the second-worst team) to determine the No. 1 pick. Yes, an actual coin flip.
As per usual when the Lakers and Clippers face off, the Lakers won. They got Worthy.
In 12 seasons in L.A., Worthy averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He was crucial for the 1985, 1987 and 1988 title teams.
Worthy was voted Finals MVP in 1988 after averaging 22.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in the Lakers’ victory over the Pistons. In Game 7, Worthy put up 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
He remains one of only three players in history to post a triple-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals; the others are Jerry West and LeBron James.
Worthy’s scoring numbers went up right after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989 and he was elevated to No. 2 in the public’s view of “Showtime.” When Magic Johnson retired in 1991, Worthy became the Lakers’ top guy.
He averaged 19.9 points per game and was an All-Star, but a knee injury cut his season short after 54 games.
Worthy retired in 1994 and currently ranks No. 6 all-time in scoring for the Lakers, No. 3 in steals. He later worked for the team as a TV analyst.