How Good Was James Worthy REALLY?
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- čas přidán 5. 04. 2020
- An in depth look at the talent and career of an overlooked Lakers legend.
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#NBA #JamesWorthy #Lakers - Sport
Is James Worthy underrated and how do you think he would do in todays game?
Also, I would like you guys to help decide who gets done next in this series….
Wes Unseld.
Yao Ming.
Dikembe Mutombo.
George Mikan.
Moses Malone.
Let me know in a comment who your choice is!
Do Mutombo next,I don't hear a lot of people talk about him
Do Moses Malone
George Mikan!
Wes unseld and moses would be a great idea to do together. Both underrated and I think straight from hi school. Champions and mvps
Moses Malone
Michael Jordan picked James worthy on his all time Team. That says a lot
It shows more proof that Jordan doesn't know how to recognize talent like when he picked Kwame brown #1 and picked Adam Morrison.
@@imsljr420 Drafting young talent and picking an all time team is nowhere near the same thing you have Made one of the dumbest comments I've ever heard in my life congratulations.
@@georgekarson6599 that's because your IQ is very low.
@@imsljr420 are u under 40? I can tell you it's not my IQ. You don't understand the game of basketball. Drafting a player is not the same. Maybe in time your develop more intelligence you will understand in The meantime good luck sir
@@georgekarson6599 I'm a lot older than you are. You may be as wise as me when you get to be my age but you're not there yet so when I talk you listen.
BIG GAME JAMES DOES DESERVE A STATUE
Absolutely
His number went up in the playoffs while most player including 99 % of legends went down.
They called him Big Game James for a reason
@Roger Edgerton Exactly. I once did a statistical analysis of the top 28 players of all-time and only 8 had a drip in the playoffs and most of those 8 the difference was nominal.
I'll say one talk about pressure which the playoffs are playing in L.A. can be considered to be pressure Karl Malone didn't deliver regular season or especially playoffs very disappointed
His quickness, speed, and signature arm stretch were unstoppable. I think most of Magic's most thrilling passes went to Worthy.
I grew up in the 80s and got to see a lot of Worthy. Nobody had a quicker first step, especially on a spin move to the basket than Worthy did
Jordan, Iverson, David Thompson all had quicker first steps.
Yes. The Lakers had a tremendous transition game, but when things slowed down and got set up Worthy would smoke his man with that first step and that was all she wrote!
Great point! Great memories of Big Game lighting defenders up in the low post with that sick 1st step!
I remember watching him as a kid and I asked my brother did James Worthy travel. He no and shut up I'm trying to watch his moves
@@DeeNice681 not in the post my friend
James worthy is the sole reason why I never name magic and Kareem the best Duo, I never understood how fans don’t realize they were a hall of fame trio
no disrespect but star james worthy was nowhere NEAR as elite as the #5 best ever magic johnson and #3 best ever kareem abdul-jabbar
@@youtuber3328 where in the world did I say Worthy was as great as magic and Kareem. I said his play is why they were a hall of fame trio. People consider jordan and Pippen the best duo ever but no one considers Pippen a top 5-10 player of all time, but the production is why they’re in the conversation.
@@atribecalledlen3567 you make sense and it's still all about the rankings
The Lakers have 100 statues outside of staples and none of them are James Worthy. That’s kinda ludicrous
100 statues? Are they all players?
True
Kobe,, The Rock, and Undertaker of WWE gets one before Worthy. I hate to say, no way does Worthy gets one. It's like what people going to Staple Center would remembered these entertainers/athletes that brings them here. Worthy is not one of those. Just like many people pointed out...he's a third option. Not the main reason people going to arena for. I hate to say, Candace Parker deserves one over Worthy and we don't know when she'll get one. That needs to happen first before Worthy, a guy that belongs to the same sentence as Michael Cooper, Byron Scott and AC Green than with Magic or Kareem.
@@ultrustic ARE YOU SERIOUS HOW OLD ARE YOU
@@michaelgray1803 apparently not as old as you to get a second account to put a fake like instantly. LOL
Him, Michael Cooper, and Dennis Johnson are some of the most underrated players ever. Worthy especially was one of the most punishing opponents in basketball history. He was Showtime.
I AGREE TOTALLY.... MC SHOULD HAVE HIS JERSEY RETIRED BY THE LAKERS!!!
Man Dennis Johnson and Vinnie Johnson. The microwave was special.
He's in the Hall of Fame so he's not underrated
he filled the lane most effectively
@@purposepassionandlovetv863 Oh man, the microwave, that's old school. He was a clutch mid range shooter, super clutch.
You know you’re a beast when you play on a team with who many believe is the greatest point guard and center of all time and you got the name big game
He choked in game 2 and game 4 of 84 finals....threw ball to Gerald Henderson in game 2 and gagged fts in gm 4
@@leoderosia9279 you choked too! Oh, wait a minute. You never played professional basketball.
@@leoderosia9279 every NBA legend has shortcomings, it's how they respond to them that defines their legacy.
@@jeffalbillar7625 worthy snagged a robust 4.4 boards a game haha in 84 finals, Larry Legend had 14 per game.
@@jeffalbillar7625 bird had a bad elbow in 85...too bad Lakers shart themselves in 86 vs rockets because that would've been asswhipping vs Celtics in finals
Worthy was Great with that deadly combination of speed and quickness. His nickname says it all, Big Game James!!!
Remember he got the nickname big game James in a era when having a nickname mattered and counted,he had one of the scariest first steps ever
One of my favorite players ever. Definitely up there with the greatest forwards of all time.
Worthy was damn good!!! During his prime, we was unguardable due to the insane quickness.
He sure was!! When he came out of the middle and intercepted a pass it was an electrifying two points punctuated with a monster slam!!
McHale enters the game. I was a Lakers fan back in the day and used to love watching James and Kevin go at it in the low post. It was quickness vs technique, and pure entertainment.
James Worthy is my 2nd all time favorite player (I’m from Chicago..you know who number 1 is). When I was a kid, I patterned my game after his. Thanks for putting this video together.
I'm a Lakers fan and to this day I still watch old games with Mike and this is also absolutely true: as amazing as His Airness was, I sure enjoyed what Scottie
Pippin did. That guy was also an amazing talent and had the heart and hustle to go with it. Great times to be a hoops fan!!!
Ooh, Big Game James. One of my favorite Lakers in the 80's. Such an explosive and quick first step, a genius going baseline. He was well known for his post game but he had a jump shot to keep defenders honest.He was nearly unstoppable on the break and smart inside scorer. He habitually faced taller players but was slowed. He was a joy to watch.
I agree
36 points, 16 rebounds, & 10 assists on 68% shooting just might be the greatest game 7 performance of all time.
68% with a triple double…IN THE 80s…IN THE PLAYOFFS…?!?!? UN-FRICKEN-REAL…!!!
James Worthy was a very good player. It’s hard to believe North Carolina ever lost a game when Jordan and worthy played together
They lost to a Ralph Sampson's Virginia team that was great and also to a player of the year guy like Ralph Sampson. The other game they lost was to Wake Forest that featured 3 future NBA players. Wake Forest was not stacked like UNC in 1982, but has four Seniors that year that gets to play a lot of minutes. It's not bad only losing two games that year and was ranked #1 most of the year.
North Carolina won the Championship in 1982,with Jordan hitting the game winning shot. That’s all I care about. I
@@erickjerland1281 no kidding. Just pointing out what you said about losing those games. They wouldn't be undefeated for those reasons I pointed out.
My Channel it sucks that is no Championship game tonight!
@Wilt Chamberlain GOD of NBA you do know that Worthy used to kill the Rockets, right? But you keep talking about one series like it defined their entire careers
Worthy beat Jordan in his freshman year in UNC in a 1 on1 game. Jordan asked for a rematch multiple times, Worthy refused, to this day. He never gave a Jordan a chance and that drove Jordan crazy! He knew how good Jordan was going to be and still had that bragging right to this day! xD
ButtZilla that's awesome!
In later years Worthy said that when Jordan got to Carolina he (Worthy) was the best player on the team...for about two weeks. My dorm softball team played the '82 basketball team in an intramural tournament. Worthy was playing right field, Jordan was at short stop. One of my teammates hit a hard straight shot about 10 or 11 feet off the ground toward left field...Jordan went up and got it. Worthy was in right field for a reason...he let a couple of grounders go through his legs. One of them was my grounder, I stopped at first, where I heard Perkins say under his breath "man he's high as hell". If Sam ever reads this...I appreciate you catching that Braddock throw from left-center field that would have caught me square in the back as we were walking off the field at the end.
didn't know that! Good info; Writing from Gastonia.
@@sensiblyhonest695 jordan played baseball, worthy didn't, still doesn't make jordan a better athlete because he was on the baseball team.
@@markrichardson1657 Jordan was NOT "on the baseball team" at all...so you're right... him being on the baseball team did NOT make him a better athlete.
James Worthy was the best at his position - period!. I remember back in the '80s when the Lakers were in the playoffs, the first questions to ask the opposing team was who is going to stop Worthy? The answer was no one!!!
Lol greeeeennnnn
Nice job, Jonny! James Worthy is definitely an all-time great and filled a crucial role on those great Laker teams. Without Worthy the Lakers wouldn't have been nearly as good and probably wouldn't have won as many championships, if any because basketball is first and foremost a team game. Going back to college Worthy was a highly effective inside presence at 6'9" and was the the leading scorer on a championship North Carolina team that also had Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan, that's how good he was. In the pros he needed to become a better shooter as well as a slasher and he did. Worthy was sort of a cross between Connie Hawkins and Dr J and could drive to the basket with the best and could fill the wing on the fast break and finished at a high level. He was quick, had great footwork, was long, and he had an array of moves around the basket. He's one of the great forwards of all-time with Hall of Fame skills.
This comment is very accurate. Nobody ever mentions James defense. He was a very good defender during his time until his back injuries.
Connie Hawkins, talented as he was, was not that great.
@@williammorrison6311 I saw The Hawk play and I thought he was pretty damn good even though he played in the NBA after he had a career altering knee surgery. But whether he was great or not has nothing to do with my comment.
You could say a lot of the same things about his predecessor as forward, Jamaal Wilkes who played a brilliant two-way game and whose steady hands rarely dropped one of those hot Magic passes and who Magic himself said was his favorite player to pass to because he always finished the play or made another pass whenever the defense was able to keep up with them or collapse on them. However, make no mistake Worthy had a physical presence and on top of his power and speed game which was already intimidating, there are very few players who were as motivated to give his level best than Big Bake was! He and Wilkes do deserve statues at Staples Center. Wilkes for helping Magic make the early Showtime offense go and Worthy for the later part of the decade. Let's just say that if you a guard playing against the Lakers you did not want James Worthy posting up on you anywhere near the hoop or it was "Boom!" I only regret never getting to see him play against Chocolate Thunder. Had he not been injured that 1983 Finals would have been MUCH closer. "Showtime" looking back is the most amazing thing I have ever seen in all the sports. Those Laker teams were like the Harlem globetrotters without the trick shots.
@@steveblaugh2180 I was a big Jamaal Wilkes fan going back to his UCLA days and then when he was so steady playing next to Rick Barry with the '74-75 team at Golden State when they won the chip. I felt like Jamaal was the best player on that team after the great Rick Barry. That Warriors team was so unselfish and passed the ball extremely well. Jamaal was fortunate to have played with great players and unselfish teams at UCLA, GS, and the Lakers. Of course, Jamaal was a big part of those teams success with his excellent all-around offensive game and consistent effort on the defensive side of the ball too. Jamaal was so silky smooth and a great player!
He was my favourite player from the 80s . He just had such a unique skill set, by far the fastest in the post and on the wings for his size . He first half of the 1987 all star game says it all . Rumour has it Jordan based his symbol on JW based on what he saw in his first year at NC , the spread legs and holding the ball with the extended arm is Worthy all over . With the isolation and ‘hands off’ rules he would be a dominate player in current game .
Now that you mention it, it does like like both of them. Jordan doing his sky thing, and Worth after a spin
@@scottrackley4457 I saw some interview with MJ early on and he looked up to worthy at NC , Worthy was a senior and leader of the team . MJ loved his arm straight up , palming the ball while he took his two steps and dunking down the middle on anyone stupid enough to try and block him . Worthy was always a little uncomfortable on the dribble so MJ took it to the next level . You can see similarities in MJs post up moves as well . Standing back to the player , ball held high in the air one handed waiting for the first quick step or spin move with the ball placed out in front of him and his body will catch up . The extra extension gives him a yard length distance on the moved straight away and the secret to moving fast . Worthy in the 1987 all star game did it like clockwork .
Worthy also beat him one on one at training . Years later MJ wanted to go one on one again and Worthy said no thanks . Mj was spewing someone had it over him !!! . Worthy , Doherty Perkins and Kenny Smith are forgotten members of that team …… a what we call now a super team !
no disrespect but i did do and will really LOVE legend hakeem olajuwon ALMOST as much as an EVEN MORE elite player being kareem abdul-jabbar
Top 5 small foward. Won finals mvp with two top 10 players. Granted Kareem was only averaging 15 points that season but it’s still a great achievement
Worthy was the man, I am 47 yrs old and remember how great he was and how he is so overlooked. It reminds me of Gil Hodges of the Brooklyn Dodgers/New York Mets.
James Worthy is one of the best forwards ever!
Facts
Not a good enough rebounder or defender; 1 of the best ‘scoring’ forwards, yes, but forwards are supposed to do more than that
@@carlcafagna1953 James worthy a good rebounder and quality defender. I saw him play throughout the 80s. And no power forward ran the floor like he did.
onelove averaged less than 5 rebounds per game for career, that’s below average for starting forwards, especially for the 80’s & 90’s, when league shooting % was considerably lower, thus more rebounds to get
Before watch: the answer is very. Big Game James one of the game's most underrated ever.
Played with Jordan in college,magic and Kareem in pros, against greats like ewing,bird,isiah, and HE came out of it with the nickname Big Game James. That's amazing when I think about it like that.
moving him to a starting small forward made all the difference for LA. one of my all time favourite players. he also became a lethal jump shooter. great guy too. well done for showcasing Big Game James.A real legend.
He would have been the best player on any team except Lakers Celtics or the Bulls. Top 50 greatest player. He was only the third option because he played with two of the top five players ever and he was actually the first option on offense alot of the time playing with magic and cap
Yeah. It's one thing that annoys me when people give Jordan crap for not winning more early in his career. Worthy was great and only third best or so on his team, Parish was only third best on the Celtics, Pistons had Thomas, Dumars, Rodman, Laimbeer, Aguirre. .Jordan had Woolridge then who, really? Later Pippen but even he took a couple years to develop.
@@jasonturner6459 Exactly. That's a huge annoyance I have with people too.
Also can't forget the 80s Bucks and 76ers. Those teams were no joke.
James Worthy as a best player in Portland over Clyde Drexler? Best player in Philly over Dr. J or Moses Malone? Best player in Houston over Hakeem Olajuwon? Best player in Utah over Karl Malone? Best player in Atlanta over Dominque Wilkins? Best player in Denver over Alex English? (believe me, that's even a stretch). Worthy might the best player in a bad team, but mid 80s teams were stacked. If he started playing in 2000s, there would be opportunity for him to break out in a fast pace offense like in Phoenix. Imagine if he had Steve Nash as his PG.
I think if Worthy went to Chicago and did so before Jordan, he could've been the number one option on that team, although his defensive effort might have suffered a bit. That would've been a great duo though
@@jamesmeuwissen7823 If James Worthy went to the Bulls, most likely they would NOT be bad enough to be able to draft Michael Jordan. Remembered...there's no draft lottery in 1984 and the Bulls was actually a bottom 3 team in the NBA with Quentin Daley and Orlando Woolridge at the time.Betting good money Worthy would be with a middling Bulls for quite some time.
James Worthy was very clutch in the postseason but wasn’t flashy so he’s so underrated
He's in my top 5 small forwards of all time. Seriously underrated.
Maybe you can do a video of the greatest trio's in nba history.
LeBron
Bird
Kd
Elgin
Dr.J
Scottie
Who do you have James worthy over to be in the top 5?
@@fbicorporation6931 in this order...
Elgin
Bird
Dr. J
Bron
Worthy
Labron, Bird far above. Dr. J is overrated. Then, you can make an argument for Wilkins, Pippen, and others including Worthy. The difference is that Worthy was unparalleled in two categories-wing man and low post.
@Tod Wilkinson Lmao I respect your opinion but I find it ludicrous that anyone is over Bron at SF (not even a Bron fan). LeBron is the 2nd greatest player of all time currently and is undoubtedly the best SF of all time. I thought that much was pretty objective. If I had to rank them it would be:
1. Bron
2. Bird
3. Pippen
4. Dr.J
5. Worthy
Inherit I agree. Bron has to be #1. I’m a spurs homer too. Bron, Bird, Wilkins, Kawhi, Worthy IMO. Kawhi has to be in the top 5 already.
I grew up in the 80s, and was a huge Showtime Lakers fan. Now that was the most Beautiful Basketball to watch ever.
I still remember that 36 point triple double game 7 he did on Detroit in the 88 finals for finals MVP. Underrated skilled Small Forwards in NBA history even if he did play with 2 top 10 greats in magic n cap
James was the best player on most of the other teams. He sacrificed his game to make his team successful.
I loved the way he would torch Bird whenever Bird attempted to guard him.
I remember Worthy smoking just about everyone. I'll have to look up clips of him torching Bird. Do you know if the trash-talking Bird ever had the guts to do that to Worthy?
@@Torgo1969 Dude are you serious? Bird told him he was going to hit a last second shot in the corner to send 87' game six in to overtime, and Worthy wasn't going to do a damn thing about it. Guess what, the game went to overtime.
@@MeIn321 Fair enough. Bird always backed up his words. And even though I was an LA fan back then I truly enjoy watching Bird highlight videos these days. One-of-a-kind, for sure.
Worthy was so quick and deadly in the low post. That spin move! He had scored and was on his way down the court before his opponent even knew he had made a move.
Loved watching this guy at Carolina and Lakers. No big man had a quicker 1st step. He was never a flashy dunker, but man was efficient. Hope he's doing Ok.
I was too young to remember a prime James Worthy thanks for the video. The numbers don't lie. I'd like to see a video on Moses Malone next
I saw a lot of Mr. Malone's games from his early Houston rockets days. If you ever saw his Nike commercial, Mosses tells you al you need to know about his game, besides never getting injured and a pretty good inside shooter and free throw shooter: "the meek may inherit the Earth, but they won't get the ball." It's also one of the funniest things I've ever seen and WOW did Moses Malone back that up when he played! e was an absolute beast in the low post.
Moses was a freak when he was young, and he played till he had to have a damned walker to get to the floor.
Outstanding player. Should be remembered as one of the greatest fast break finishers in nba history and had some of the best footwork and baseline moves you will ever see. The shame is that injuries and arthritis took their toll on Worthy. Basketball may be the most humbling sport and it was tough to see Worthy in his last 2 seasons. But remember him in his prime, he was spectacular. In today’s game he would have developed more of a three point shot, but he would be unstoppable. In 4 game 7s Worthy averaged 27 pts 8 bds on 60% shooting. Some of his play off series are just silly. Just one to chew on, 1989, 4 game sweep over Sonics, Worthy averaged 27.8, 8.0 reb , 1.5 steal on 66% shooting, 50% three and 94% free throw
That's what happens without Magic. He made the game easier for everyone.
A good video. This video shows how good Big Game James was especially in the playoffs. He is one of those greats who rose to the occasion when it matters the most.
How good was Big Game James? He earned that nickname with guys like McHale, Rodman, Mahorn, guarding him... and shined with that pressure
Preach! Worthy was my guy. I love how you highlighted his efficiency. It's hard to be an efficient third option with limited touches. So many times he could've taken his guy 1-on-1 but instead would dump it into cap. Takes a lot of humility to do that and that's a big reason why the Lakers were great.
The fact that Jordan said his all time starting 5 for a pick up game would be himself, pippen, magic olajuwon and worthy says a lot. Maybe its because they did go to college together at UNC but he could have also chose a guy like Sam Perkins whom if I remember right was MJs roommate at UNC. To me that speaks volumes to how good Worthy was.
Everyone remembers Jordan's shot at the end of the '82 championship game, but it was Worthy's play throughout the game that won it for the Gloriousness (UNC). Go heels.
@@thomasboldt921 Sadly I don't remember it because I was born in 83 lol
@@GloriousKev It was a very thrilling game. As a UNC student at the time, we were all on the edges of our seats... too nervous to even drink!! The entire game is on CZcams. If curious, I'm sure you can find it!!
@@thomasboldt921 I might if I find the time. Never been huge on college hoops but ill give it a look its not like there are any other sports on right now lol
@@GloriousKev True that.
James Worthy was awesome and without his heroics the Lakers would have not won the 88 finals although they all were talented and he stepped up his game it was good the Lakers drafted Worthy.
Finally. Your brother and I have been lobbying for BG James since you were hawking cookies, boy. Excellent tribute to Worthy - notable Pisces, killer first step.
Nice! Glad I was able to make it happen. I'm missing those cookies (and the people) right about now. Hope you're doing well, friend! Stay safe
Big Game James was by far one of my favorite Lakers. He was all that you've said here, and more! It was thrilling to watch his foot work in the paint. He was as quick as a cat. Nothing was more exciting than watching James, Magic, and Byron Scott on the fast break. Btw, Pat Riley was the genius behind the fast break, but those three executed it to perfection. It was a thing of beauty!
I remembered him playing the fast break point alongside Magic. He is one is the best small forward to play the game. BIG GAME JAMES! He deserves his statue outside Staples center
Best description of James Worthy I've ever seen is "Bigger than anyone who was faster. Faster than anyone who was bigger." He is underrated because he was more interested in winning than in having flashy stats.
James Worthy has always been my favorite Laker. People are surprised whenever I bring that up cuz they think I’ll say Magic, Kobe or even Shaq. That shake n bake was unstoppable!
Big Game Jaaaaaaaames Worthy baybee! I’ve always wanted a worthy jersey growing up, might finally buy it as a gift to myself after this quarantine lol
Thanks for this! I wasn’t old enough to watch Big game and always admired his class through spectrum only. This video opens a whole new light on his greatness for me! Just wow! Thanks!
As a Bulls fan, who started watching basketball in the 1990s, didn't see much of James Worthy. But, after watching this, how the hell did he get overlooked? As a basketball fan, I always keep my eyes on underrated, underappreciated players. James Worthy, to me, seemed like the glue of those 80s title teams. No way they win 5 titles without his skill set. I love overlooked players like these. Great video, dude!
Lifelong Lakers fan here. "Big Game James" was one the baddest small-forwards to ever lace em up. I loved watching him run the wing with Magic coming down the middle handling the rock. You just knew something exciting was getting ready to happen. Definitely one of my favorite Lakers of all time!!!
I had a pair of" Big Game James" New Ballance sneakers. Enough said.
I still have the Poster
Me too.
Rick Barry please, one of the greatest forwards ever and is a HIGHLY underrated all time great.
He'd be rated much more highly if he hadn't been such an insufferable dick to his teammates.
@@budwyzer77 Barry was the John McEnroe of the NBA but he was still a GREAT. The Warriors built their very deep team around Barry and won the NBA championship. Before that he was great in the ABA averaging 30 a game and before that he averaged 35 a game and led the Warriors to the NBA Finals and lost to Wilt's great Sixers team. That doesn't even begin to do justice to how good Barry was.
@@jingqi9106 I'm not disagreeing that he was a great player. He's underrated largely because nobody wanted to say nice things about the guy.
I totally agree James Worthy was amazing
My favorite NBA player of that era! His game was so fundamentally sound and perfectly simple which made him supremely efficient! If you stop his drive he would just pull up for a quick jumper or pivot to a post move... devastating in his simplicity!
Great nickname, statue that man. He wasn't under rated when he played. I guess he needs a bigger fan club or something. "Big Game James" .
JAMES WORTHY FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAMER. He is one of those quiet hall of famers like Jamal Wilkes. NO ONE HAD JAMES WORTHY'S skill set like the first step SPIN MOVE. It was art in motion. He is one of the greatest laker.
Hated him as a Celtics fan growing up, but mad respect for Worthy. He absolutely flew on the break and was the perfect fit for the Showtime Lakers. Underappreciated somewhat in the halfcourt but he was a very good slasher and finisher, and would have had gaudier stats if he was the first option on another team. As it was, he was a huge part of an NBA dynasty and 3x NBA champion. All-time great.
Great vid! That spin move in the post he had was amazing.
Fastest 1st step on a drive to the hoop than any other forward or center & most gaurds , for that mater! ........ever.
I can't wait to read this one! I wish you would give this treatment to half the NBA from the 70s and 80s and early 90s. But I don't even have to watch this one, because I lived it. You see I grew up in Charlottesville Virginia back in the late 70s and early 80s during the Ralph Sampson era. Between 1981 and 1983 Virginia and North Carolina were consistently ranked in the top five, if not number 1 and number 2.
This was back during the Golden Age of ACC basketball as Duke was just starting to improve and Georgia Tech the same, they were both awful programs that were a year or two away from turning it around. North Carolina would win a title, followed the next year by North Carolina State and meanwhile neither one of them had the best player in the ACC in Ralph Sampson. Maryland had Adrian Branch and Len Bias was about to show up on the scene, Lefty Driesell was up there with Dean as the biggest coach in the league.
I got to see Jordan play in college, live a few times and live on TV during his college Years many times. James Worthy was the Superstar on that team back then and make no mistake about it.
A little known fact about Worthy, everybody knows that he went pro a year early. But does anybody know why? I've seen him quoted more than once, saying that Ralph Sampson deciding to stay for his senior year made Worthy's decision easy. I believe his comment was something along the lines of "I didn't want to have to play Ralph three times again next year". Back then in 81, those two teams faced each other four times! Twice in the regular season, during the ACC tournament, and again in the final four. So when you're looking at facing a team usually a minimum of three times and possibly four, and that team has your number and a guy who just is Godzilla in the middle!
That 81 team broke my heart. That is an 11 year old kid on a trip with my boy scout troop camping up in the mountains, it was such a big deal to follow them in the tournament that we actually canceled our entire camping trip for this huge Boy Scout Troop. When it was time for them to play in the final four we literally packed up our stuff and climbed out of the mountains and went to the home of somebody that someone in the truth knew that was near the mountain where we were camping! And James Worthy he broke my heart!
Were they had long arms, quick feet quick hands, a soft touch, and in my opinion the best first step in the history of the game. It was an absolute travesty that back then the top pick went to the team that finished first. So the Lakers were stacked and they get a guaranteed Hall of Fame Superstar. Which is what he was back then. He wasn't one of these guys out of college that you weren't sure about. This was a three-year player for Dean Smith who was the star of the team all three years back when they were the number one team in the country there was just no question about it when you watched him on the court in college you knew he was going to be a star.
And sure enough he went on to the NBA, one three NBA titles and was eventually a starter on a team that had just won the title with a bunch of future Hall of Famers on it so that says something about how good he was. James Worthy was freaking fantastic and I hated North Carolina with every fiber of my being back then LOL
Long,spesific but best cool
@Tod Wilkinson what do you mean 81 to 84? Those are the years that Jordan was at North Carolina but we're talking about Worthy? Worthy was there from 79 to 82, coming out a year early because Ralph stayed for his senior year and left in 83 when he graduated. And by then worthy had already been in the league for one year.
@Tod Wilkinson Lol he said Worthy wasn't there in 83. He also clarified that Worthy left for the NBA at the end of 82, thus making him an NBA player in 83. And he never said that 84 wasn't a good team but this video is about Worthy so if a team was good without Worthy, why would we care in the context of this video?
@Tod Wilkinson I'm not quite sure why you wouldn't believe me, I told you I literally lived there and went to the games . I was a die-hard, absolute nut job die-hard college basketball fan living in the heart of ACC country in the town where the best player in the country lived three years running , I had my bedroom walls floor to ceiling plaster with newspaper clippings and pictures . I went to every basketball game and every event possible . I went to social events around the community, my best friend Joey rice, his father was the head of the UVA booster club and got us tickets and bus rides to the away games ......
Their highest ranking was not in 84 because you can't get any higher than number one. I'm not saying they weren't number one in 84, I don't need to go look it up because that wasn't my assertion to begin with but it wouldn't surprise me if UNC was indeed because that was Jordan's last year there and I believe he was player of the year that year. But I was saying between 81 and 83 and if you go check out the AP polls....
The final poll of the 81-82 season, had UNC number 1 and UVA number 3.
In the 82-83 season the AP Rankings had UVA #1 and UNC #3 preseason..... they both floated near the top All Season long , and in the middle of the year at the end of January and the beginning of February UNC was ranked #1 and UVA was ranked #3.... and at the end of the season they were both in the top five if I recall correctly...... I just checked and the second to last week of the 82-83 season, things had switched back around to where they were at the beginning of the season and Virginia was number 2 and North Carolina was number five.
@Tod Wilkinson and of course I know he wasn't there in the 83, if you read my original comment that you replied to, I talked about how he specifically went pro so did he didn't have to have a senior season going up against Ralph potentially four times. Which by the way North Carolina state did that year. Because they ended up playing North Carolina state in the Western Regional final in the NCAA tournament, and they had already played them twice in the regular season and met them in the ACC tournament. So that potential to meet somebody four times in one year like they had done the previous season before he made the decision in 80-81. Worthy and Ralph came in the same year played against each other two or three times in the 79-80 season when UVA won the NIT, and then the following year when UVA had the two all-americans with Samson and Jeff lamp and all those other good guys around them, they went to the Final Four and wash to that team that eventually lost to Isaiah Thomas in the finals. They had also played them in the ACC tournament that year so worthy was coming off of a season where they had played UVA four times. He had just had his junior year and played Virginia I believe it was three times, and the prospect of facing Ralph three or four more times the following year was just too much, so he decided to go pro. And then the following season did he went pro, North Carolina state did end up playing Ralph four times that year on their way to winning the title. I know it's obviously a different team but I'm just making the point that those teams back then often ended up playing each other three times at least and sometimes 4, and I just gave two good examples of the four times a year thing, which was the reason that worthy gave for going pro at the end of the 82 season. I know that he wasn't there in 83, I wasn't saying he was there in 83 I did say that they had an incredible rivalry going in the early 80s where they were constantly ranked in the top five together. And as I pointed out in my other reply, their best season in rankings was not 1984, or at least 1984 was no better than earlier seasons.
1:52 He has some of the slickest post-up moves ever. When I was a kid on the playgrounds, I always pretended I was Big Game James. ♤♡◇♧☆
James Worthy was always one of my favorite basketball player. Every since his days at North Carolina. We would be on the play ground playing basketball, and when we got a fast break we would say Magic, to Worthy. He definitely deserves a lot more respect. Big Games James
Even though his niche was his clutch game, he was still a niche player, and niche players get overlooked. That being said, if there was ever a niche to fill...that's the one I'd choose, and I think he deserves to be mentioned with the greats.
In that era, no one was more dangerous in the post than James Worthy.
@Tod Wilkinson True. All were deadly in the post. I'm just agreeing with what Magic said about Worthy. Whenever Magic got the ball to Worthy down low, he used to shout, "Don't hurt him, Worthy!" And Worthy would hurt him. Moses and Dawkins were just sheer raw power. Kareem and Olajuwon were smooth. And McKale....he was Drunken Style. He looked so awkward and clumsy, but it made him hard to defend, and he'd get buckets. But Worthy was explosive. The speed of his pivot at 1:53 to the basket was just ridiculous.
Love this video. Worthy was absolutely the key to Showtime even being a thing. His explosiveness was undeniable. When Amare Stoudamire was at his peak, I could only see his game emulating Worthy's. He even had the goggles. I'm always disappointed that he doesnt get mentioned much. He always seemed cool and collected. He'd beat you, and just walk away. Without a doubt, one of the best. There is debate about whether past greats would be able to compete in today's game. Worthy could.
Criminally Underrated......SUPERSTAR. Opps....CLUTCH SUPERSTAR.
James Worthy is an all-time great top 50 player in NBA history, Top 10 Small Forward & before Kevin Durant came along he most likely would've been top 5.
Although I’m from Michigan, I was a huge Lakers fan in the 80’s (Magic, of course!); I loved Worthy on those teams, but I have to say, I can see why his legacy is not bigger than it is - it’s important to note what happened to him & the team after Kareem & Magic we’re gone; if he was really as important as those 2, his numbers would have increased, or at least stayed pat, after they left, but his numbers take a sharp dip starting in ‘91, and he was utterly incapable of ‘carrying the team,’ they completely fell apart when Magic retired; it’s also noteworthy that his best years coincided exactly with Kareem’s fading out during his last 4 years in the league; what made ‘Showtime’ so great was that it really was a ‘Complete’ team, although most fans didn’t think so; Magic was the most complete superstar of all time (‘till Lebron perhaps), but all the other players on the team filled specific roles, really well; Kareem & AC Green provided outstanding defensive rebounding, and Green provided great interior defense, Byron Scott (in the regular season) & Michael Cooper (in the playoffs) provided good enough outside shooting, Magic always got the ball to a wide-open man, and also provided outstanding front court defense; early on, Kareem provided half-court scoring (when teams stopped the break), but by about ‘86 he couldn’t provide as much anymore - enter Worthy, who replaced Kareem’s half court scoring, and was also the best ever finisher on the break; he was exactly what they needed to beat the Celtics, once and for all, and was also the main reason they beat the Pistons in ‘88; trouble is, without all the others doing their parts as strong as they did, his strengths weren’t nearly enough - he was not nearly good enough at rebounding to hold his own without AC, Kareem & Magic (the best rebounding guard till Lebron), and his offensive game was way too limited (he was broke from beyond 4 feet) to be a primary option on any team; he was like a 5 inches shorter Hakeem Olajuwon (how would ‘Dream’ have done - 5 inches?); when you had the threat of 3 decent outside shooters, and Kareem on the other side of the block, defenses couldn’t completely key on Worthy, but when those other threats were gone, he was much easier to defense, and the rest of his game wasn’t enough to compensate; sorry to say it, but I think it’s clear, Worthy was in the best possible place for his specific skill set, but Magic & Kareem were the Duo that made the team - having said that, he certainly deserves a statue, if for no other reason than being the leading scorer on 2 championship teams, but he owed that partially to the real DUO & his other teammates
Cheers man. His low post game is frustratingly overlooked. He literally was on pair with Olajuwon and McHale. Nobody could guard him.
My all time favorite small forward! He was money! At his best when the pressure was most intense! Laker Nation loves you Big Game James!
I remember Worthy posting up on the elbow extended, closer to the 3pt. Line than the paint, feign left spin back one step and bam he's right a the rim either just finishing a dunk or a layup. Before Durant came around I never thought I would see someone else with that spider-like build, all arms and legs, move with such quickness and grace. Dennis Rodman said Worthy was the hardest player to defend for him personally. As Chris Bosh and Robert Parrish can attest the 3rd in a "Big 3" is almost always overlooked. (The comparison end there because in my opinion Worthy is a FAR superior player to either Chief or Bosh)
I recall for several years (or a few) he was double-teamed regularly. I can't think of another low post player who was double-teamed. Except for Shaq.
My favorite player. Was just dominant in the low post. I remember the all star game he was just eating up Dominique. Big Game James.
Nique carried his team. Worthy never had to. And I'm not a big Nique fan.
He was absolutely underrated. I feel that a healthy worthy the lakers could have took the title from the 91 bulls...but injury is part of the game. I feel that magic and the rest shined so brilliantly and brightly that few could appreciate big game james. Thanks for the great video.
The bigger the game, the better he played. Big Game James made Showtime the Ferrari of NBA teams.
Maybe the most underrated player ever in the NBA. Ask someone who really knows b-ball to name 20 modern day top players and most will leave him off and kick themselves for doing so after!
Good work thanks for bringing more light to the subject
Huge Laker fan here. Grew up in the 80’s watching all the battles, I had Worthy hoop shoes in high school. Him, Magic and Dominique graced my wall with posters. Worthy was simply a stud. Sure he doesn’t have all the individual awards a lot of guys have, but he was a main cog ⚙️ in all the Lakers success. He was very reliable and efficient. A wonderful low post player, with great footwork and a blistering first step. It’s good to see him on the all time team. Wish he’d get more recognition.
James was huge, Kevin McHale is still trying to figure out how to guard him 30 years later!!
He was truly" Big time "James Worthy
Incidentally I've spent the last week watching highlights of 80s playoffs and finals series and boy I realized I never knew just how good James Worthy was. It's criminally insane that he has no statue-dude was a finals mvp.
I'm also upset that much of what I knew before was dependent on popular narratives shaped by the media. Not anymore
Great selection to cover & yes he was a great players, one of the all-time great small forwards! I was fortunate to see many of the games you mentioned. Incredibly quick first, great leaping ability, good court vision & a hard worker & good team player!! Good job & thanks for posting this!
He's in the category of greatest 2nd options of all time along with Scottie Pippen, Kevin Mchale, Joe Dumars, Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, people are starting to overrated players like James Worthy & Scottie Pippen to denigrate the driving force of their team. "Scottie Pippen was all an around player, filling that stat sheet in Pts, Rebounds, Assist , therefore he was more skilled than Jordan." These are the same guys that will literally see a highlights of James Worthy getting a triple double & be like "Worthy can do what Magic does, so he was as good, if not better than Magic." I'm starting to see a lot of these dumbass Worthy > Magic comments, almost at the same rate of the Scottie Pippen > MJ contratians. Real Basketball fans understand their greatness.
To be perfectly fair, Scottie took a team deeper into the playoffs without Mike than Mike ever did without Scottie.
kyrie irving?are you eating popcorn while watching bb?
@@andreaspapadakis2602 Yes, Kyrie Irving 2016 Finals performance and his tenure alongside All Time Great LeBron James, solidified him as one of the greatest 2nd options in NBA history. Other than the other players, I mention you would be hard to press to find anyone as potent as Kyrie in terms of his contribution. Worthy of praise.
@@youngblood4127 what about terry contribution in 2011 dalas title..
@@jeffladrillono2313 the 94 Bulls team had continuity & the deepest bench of any Bulls team during the first 3 peat & the entire 80's. Jordan without Pippen, was going up against all time great teams such as the 1985 & 1986 Celtics, a forgotten but dominate 1984 Milwaukee Bucks team lead by Sidney Moncrief & Terry Cummings. So, Jordan without Pippen vs Pippen in 94, isn't really comparable to what each had. B.J. Armstrong & Horace Grant blossomed into all stars, along Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr & a barrage of above average 7 foot skilled big men.
Klay Thompson feels like the perfect modern day counterpart to this. Felt like this video could've been about him
Great observation, and my thoughts exactly. I nearly put that in the script, saying something like "If 30 years from now, nobody acknowledges Klay Thompson's contributions to the Warriors, then he would have essentially become James Worthy."
Great point! I would say that Klay and James are the 2 most underrated All Stars (by media and fans) since the early 80's.
Hard to believe I'm in the same school James Worthy went to school at. I'm a Sophomore in Ashbrook highschool right now.
James Worthy is before my time, I was a mid nineties and above nba viewer but James Worthy name has popped up a lot when it comes to nba greats, all nba special teams etc and I thought what was so special. But I see it now. A player that shined when everyone was down, a unguadable one on one player, put up huge numbers when they needed him too. So yeah I agree, he really was a legend in his own right, and was a big part to the showtime lakers after watching old games and clips about him.
Never got to see Worthy play...but I did see him as a tall ass Klingon.
Well there's footage on CZcams of his games. I had no idea how balanced his game was. He wasn't just some role player. He had triple doubles and near triple doubles in Finals against the Pistons and Celtics.
He is one of the reasons I think the 80s Lakers is better than the 90s bulls and have a good chance of beating warriors with kd.
So what you saying is LA had a BIG 3 back then. And a solid SG and PF. With a SIX MAN that could come off the bench to start anywhere in cooper. Great job keep breaking these down loving these videos
Great video! Thanks for making this
People forget how good he was because most fans never played basketball at a high level and dont know real skill when they see it.
Dont forget Worthy broke his leg his rookie campaign.
Yup. He didn't play in the '83 Finals.
@@melvinhhcp3615 he was going against Larry Nance and Phoenix, a real dunkathon. He went way up for a put back dunk on a fast break and had a Joe Theismann type break between his knee and ankle when he landed.
I never saw him go up like that ever again. Not because he was unable to, but because he didn't need that to be effective. He left the ultra high flying to others and focused on staying healthy.
He dunked one as a UNC freshman at Clemson (Larry Nance again) where he left near the foul line and went so high the top of the ball was nearly at the top of the backboard.
Billy Packer had it on his Saturday morning ACC weekly highlights show. They showed it at super slow motion to show just how incredibly high he rose. Nance and Moose Campbell were looking at him as though he stepped off a flying saucer while he ran back down the court.
He did one similar late in the second half of 82 semifinal against Houston, went over Akeem and Larry Michaux. Jumping so high it appears his entire right arm was above the basket. He rarely did it, but when he did it was something to see.
Worthy played his role to perfection all time great
When I was a kid (1968), we had a basketball hoop in my driveway. A lot of older neighborhood kids would come play around on the weekends. They talked about Dean Smith and Carolina (I was living in Fayetteville NC). I didn't follow basketball, but it was fun to hear them talk about it. Years later (1981) I'm living in Cary and decide to start watching college basketball, and my team would be North Carolina. James Worthy was it. I loved watching him play. I was a huge fan. The next year (1982), Jordan came and they won the Championship. I was hooked.
Dikembe Mutombo should be next! Always forgotten because he wasn’t an offensive force
Exactly lol
Top 5 defensive center of all time.
Wow, his FG% numbers are the best I've ever seen.
Check Out Barkley's and McHale's FG% numbers they where even better. Worthy had the fastest or quickest 1step of any Forward i´ve ever seen!
@@Defender80s @@Defender80s Oh yeah, his 1st step is unreal, you are so right. Scoring machine!
@Wilt Chamberlain GOD of NBA Ohhhh shit!
James Worthy was simply awesome. He is one of the greatest players at his position to play the game.
Worthy was truly underrated. Like so many others I could name. Worthy was a beast. Always a pleasure to watch him.