James Worthy, who the Los Angeles Lakers selected number one in the 1982 NBA Draft, was the missing piece in the Showtime Lakers puzzle. He was the team’s beloved forward who served as a reliable scorer and the glue guy who completed a team built around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
In fact, nobody talks enough about how the purple and gold fleeced the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1979 when they traded for Worthy in exchange for the rights to Don Ford. The Lakers wanted Worthy so much that they made the gamble, and it sure did pay dividends from the get-go.
James Worthy was called Big Game for a reason
Worthy wasn’t named “Big Game” by coincidence. In his rookie year, the number one draft pick from the University of North Carolina was already off to an impressive start averaging 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game — on a loaded team, no less.
Worthy’s numbers significantly increased as each season passed, and he blossomed into a 7-time All-Star when the Showtime era was at its peak. He never shied away from the spotlight and was always a threat come Playoff time, which was why the great Chick Hearn coined the “Big Game” moniker for him.
“Man, it was during the Playoffs. Because my percentages always went up during the Playoffs. So Chick Hearn — the voice of the Lakers since 1961 until he passed — I made a play, he’s like “Big Game James!”
And it stuck. I mean, I love it when I’m at the airport and the guys that work at the airport or the guy that might be shining shoes, he’s like ‘Big Game!’ I’m like ‘Alright, alright.’ It’s kinda cool and it tickles me pink, man. It’s cool as s*** man,” Worthy said in his recent appearance on the “Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles” podcast.
Worth all the praise
True to Worthy’s words, his averages always increased during Playoff time. In those 3 championship runs he had with the Showtime Lakers, Big Game averaged 21.5 points and 5.3 rebounds on 56.9% shooting from the field. When you have another reliable physical and big man putting up these numbers alongside Johnson and Kareem, that’s a team that’s incredibly hard to stop. He was just the perfect fit and rotation piece for a championship contender.
Aside from all the stats and his impact on the court, what was remarkable about Worthy’s career was his ability to stay on the court. In his 12 seasons in the league, he played a total of 926 games (he was a starter in 717 of those) and was on the court for 75 games or more every season, aside from the year 1991-1992, where he played just 54 games.
The addition of Worthy ended up being a treasure find for Los Angeles because not only did they get an All-Star to complete their dynastic success, but one that always shined brightest in the biggest moments.