Professional Basketball Career
In 1979, the Los Angeles Lakers brokered a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers which, among additional assets, gave to the Lakers a 1982 first round pick. The Cavaliers finished with the NBA's worst record in the 1981-82 season. In 1982, there existed none of the provisions that NBA teams currently have to prevent the loss in trades of their high draft picks by use of various protection clauses. Thus, the Lakers found themselves in contention for the first overall pick in the Draft. The only further requirement for the Lakers to land the top pick was to win a coin toss which determined the placement of the first two draftees (all other draft positions were awarded to teams in descending order of their record in the previous season). The Lakers subsequently won the coin toss against the San Diego Clippers and attained the first pick, with which they selected Worthy. As a result, the Lakers became the first and only team to acquire the top pick in the Draft after having won that season's championship.
Worthy immediately made an impact as a rookie, averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting a Laker rookie record .579 field goal percentage. He was also named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team. Worthy thrived in the Laker's fastbreak style with his speed and his dynamic ability to score with either hand and play above the rim. Beyond just finishing a fastbreak with his trademark Statue of Liberty dunks or swooping finger rolls, Worthy was also one of the best baseline post players at the small forward position, with a quick spin move and a deadly turnaround jumpshot. Unfortunately, his rookie year ended on a down note as Worthy broke his leg while landing improperly after trying to tap in a missed shot against the Phoenix Suns on April 10, 1983. Worthy missed the rest of the season and playoffs.
Back and healthy for the opening of the 1983–84 season, Worthy's effective play soon had him replacing Jamaal Wilkes in the starting line-up. The Lakers dominated throughout the Western Conference Playoffs and faced the Boston Celtics in the Finals. It was late in Game 2 of the Finals that Worthy made the now-infamous mistake of throwing an errant crosscourt pass that was picked off by Celtic Gerald Henderson and taken in for the game-tying score. Ultimately, the mistake-prone Lakers lost this game in overtime, and lost this series in seven games.
Read more about this topic: James Worthy
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