James Worthy

James Worthy defines the term "most valuable player"-- not just in his career as a superstar athlete but as an entrepreneur, sports broadcast analyst, commercial spokesman, and devoted father. Worthy was born February 27, 1961, in Gastonia, North Carolina, the son of a minister and a registered nurse. He was voted an All-American at Ashbrook High School, having led his team to three consecutive championships. Destined for a career in basketball, the 6’9" athlete with the deep voice and lanky stride, received a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina. Under the tutelage of famed coach, Dean Smith, Worthy played with such dream teammates as Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins, and was named to virtually every All-American team following his junior year as a Tar Heel. After being named MVP of the Final Four in 1982, he was the #1 overall pick in the 1982 draft, joining the reigning NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers for 12 consecutive years, Worthy earned the name "Big Game James" for his dazzling performance in championship playoffs. He averaged 21.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 143 playoff contests. On December 10, 1995, Worthy became only the sixth player in Laker history to have his jersey retired. His #42 joined the jerseys of teammates Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson on the wall of The Great Western Forum. It was the fourth such ceremony for Worthy, whose jerseys were retired in junior high (#32), high school (#52) and college (#52). Worthy was most recently inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, topping a long list of noteworthy statistics: * Seven-time NBA All-Star * Member of three NBA Championship teams; 1985, 1987, 1988 * NBA Finals Most Valuable Player; 1988 * NBA All-rookie team; 1983 * All-NBA Team; 1989-1990, 1990-1991 * Career record of 16,320 points * College Player of the Year; 1982 * MVP of NCAA Championships; 1982 * Rated by NBA one of the 50 all-time best pro players Worthy’s trademark goggles, along with a championship uniform, were inducted into the Smithsonian Institute early in 1996. In addition, Worthy launched the Smithsonian’s National Sports Oral History Project--a career retrospective providing insight into historical changes in the sport. Since retiring from the game on November 10, 1994, Worthy commenced a second career as owner and president of Big Game James, Inc., a sports marketing firm specializing in retired athletes. Big Game James, Inc. has