James Worthy
(Born 1961)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2003
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Hall of Fame
Position: SF
Height: 6’9″
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James Worthy, “Big Game James,” was an All-Star small forward who spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Teaming with Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Worthy helped lead the Lakers to three NBA Championships in his twelve years with the team.
Worthy was a smooth, agile player who was a strong finisher. He ran the break well and was often the recipient of Magic’s dynamic passes. James was an able ball-handler who could take the ball coast-to-coast. He often finished the break with his trademark one-handed swooping dunk, but he also showed a variety of effective moves in the post.
Awards and Honors
- Playing for North Carolina with Michael Jordan, Worthy led the Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA Championship. They defeated Georgetown University and Patrick Ewing 63-62 in the final game and James was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
- James was the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1982 NBA Draft. Worthy enjoyed the opportunity to start his career with the team that had just won the NBA Championship three weeks before the draft.
- From 1986-1992, Worthy was an NBA All-Star seven consecutive times.
- James was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1982-83. He was also an All-NBA Third Team selection in 1989-90 and 1990-91.
- Worthy and the Lakers won NBA Championships in 1985, 1987, and 1988. James was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 1988.
- James was selected as one of The 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996.
Points of Interest
- In the NCAA Final game in 1982, Worthy scored 28 points on 13 of 17 shooting (and had a key steal at the end of the game) to lead North Carolina to the championship. Michael Jordan, who hit the game-winning shot, had 16 points on 7 for 13 shooting.
- With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar snatching rebounds and Magic Johnson leading the break, Worthy, Byron Scott, and Michael Cooper always finished strong as the “Showtime” Lakers were the class of the league in the 1980s.
- James finished his NBA career with averages of 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. In post-season play, Worthy was even better. He averaged 21.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game and had a knack for making the big play when his team needed it most.
- When Worthy retired, Magic Johnson declared him to be one of the top five players in NBA playoff history. The way he performed in the clutch during the most important games was what earned him the nickname, “Big Game James.”
- After his playing career, James worked as a basketball analyst for the Los Angeles Laker games, providing valuable insights into the game for Laker fans.
Statistics
James Worthy Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Personal Autograph Interaction
At the 2024 Hall of Fame Enshrinement weekend James Worthy signed for me three times on two separate occasions. The first time, he was walking down the hallway at the Mohegan Sun. I think Magic Johnson had just walked by and so all of the autograph collectors were chasing him down. When Worthy followed moments later, I was the only one there.
He was walking with someone, perhaps from the Hall of Fame, when I asked him to sign a card. James agreed to sign but kept walking and as I paralleled his walk I put the card on my binder to give him a signing surface. I was excited to get another card in my 2012-13 Panini Signatures Legends set signed. Unfortunately, you can see the result of Worthy’s quick walking signature in the first picture below. Thankfully, I had sent a similar Worthy card in to a private signing in April of 2024 where I paid $129.00 for a much better signature for the set I am collecting.
As James finished the first signature, he noticed another card on my binder. It was a North Carolina card that was face down. I wasn’t sure if I would ask him to sign it or not. To his credit, he reached over and signed it as well, even though the signature ended up being on the back of the card. Again, it was the quick fan signature that other autograph collectors had warned me about if I was considering getting a valuable card signed. However, I did appreciate James taking the time to sign that one as well.
Later, at our hotel, Worthy signed the last card that you see below. It is a beautiful patch card numbered to 300 copies. This time the card was on a table, James was not in motion, and the autograph came out much nicer. As a Southern California resident and huge Lakers fan, I watched James Worthy and all of the Showtime Lakers back in the 1980s. Those Lakers won five NBA championships so it was great fun for me to interact with James and have him sign my cards.
Thank you, James!
In-Person Autograph Photos
At the 2024 Hall of Fame Enshrinement weekend, James signed three cards for me. The first is the 2012-13 Panini Signatures Legends card, the second is the back of a 2010 Upper Deck SP Authentics North Carolina Tarheels card, and the third is a 2000 Upper Deck Master Collection patch card numbered 075/300.