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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, and then 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 Laker 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.
1990 arrest
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 the police, prior to the game, Worthy called a local Houston 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.
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Police claimed that Worthy arranged a transaction with the women whereupon he was arrested. He was jailed, and his release on bail was not processed quickly enough for him to make it to the arena by the start of that evening's game. Sam Perkins started the game in Worthy's place. Worthy did play later in the contest, having arrived shortly after the game had begun. However, the embarrassing arrest received extensive publicity as journalists covering the game sought out and reported the reason for Worthy's conspicuous absence from the starting lineup.
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]
Worthy was married at the time of the incident. He and his wife, Angela, did make an attempt to salvage their marriage, but the damage ultimately proved too great and they divorced in 1996.
Trivia
- Worthy appeared as a Klingon in a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled "Gambit".
- Influential punk musician Mike Watt, a longtime Lakers fan, owns an Alembic bass that he had Worthy autograph after he won his third NBA championship ring. link
External links
de:James Worthy
es:James Worthy
fr:James Worthy
it:James Worthy
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