James Worthy was the No. 1 pick in the 1982 NBA draft. The Los Angeles Lakers secured the first draft pick from a previous trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1979-80 season. When Worthy was selected by the Lakers, Worthy was admittedly confident going into pro ball. Why shouldn’t he be? He was selected No. 1 and came from a national championship in North Carolina.
He admitted he was out to steal someone’s starting role with the Lakers. After going through the list, he focused on forward Kurt Rambis, a humble player who played his role perfectly. According to Worthy, he quickly got his welcoming moment to the NBA from Rambis.
James Worthy lived up to his hype as the No. 1 pick
Worthy found himself in the best possible position when he came into the NBA. While most No. 1 picks deal with growing pains while playing for a bad team, Worthy’s situation was very different.
The Lakers were fresh from an NBA championship after beating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. They already had veteran center Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar and a young point guard in Magic Johnson. Worthy didn’t have to be the go-go type as a rookie.
He appeared in 77 games, started one, and averaged 25.6 minutes. In his debut NBA season, he averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds, and the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Sixers.
Worthy started the following season in 53 games and saw his scoring average (14.5) and rebound average (6.3) improve. He became a full-time starter in the 1984–85 season and saw his minutes per game soar to 33.7. On a star-studded team, Worthy averaged 17.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.
The following season, he made the first of seven straight All-Star appearances when he averaged 20.0 points. He won three championships with the Lakers and was the 1988 NBA Finals MVP. Worthy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Worthy admits Rambis proved him wrong
Worthy quickly learned that talent doesn’t always win in the NBA. He also learned that appearances can be deceiving.
“When I came to the Lakers, I thought I was going to be pretty good,” Worthy told former Lakers teammate Michael Cooper Showtime with Coop podcast. “I was fresh out of college and had no idea what the NBA was about.
“When I came to the Lakers, I was kind of filled with myself. I was very confident. So I went to the gym and I think I can start here. I don’t know why I had that in my head, but most stupid beginners think like that.
“I walked into the gym, looked at Kareem and thought Kareem’s spot was safe. Magic’s place is secure. Jamaal Wilkes was still with us. I looked at Silk and thought, no, I don’t understand that yet. Norm Nixon is still there, and then I looked and said, ‘Fuck Kurt Rambis. The damn guy can’t jump.’ He had those glasses with tape down the middle holding them together. He smelled like Ben Gay the whole time. I thought I’d get this seat.
“Well, let me tell you something. Within about 35 minutes of those few days of practice, Kurt Rambis let me know what a real power forward was in the NBA. He beat me to death. All that talent, all that speed meant nothing when you got mixed up with Kurt, man. That was my introduction to the NBA. Kurt Rambis beat me up.”
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