Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Lakers Daily: James Worthy says the ball needs to stay in Austin's hands "LeBron's out right now, but when they start the substitution back up again, this guy needs the ball in his hands a lot in order for him to be efficient and productive"

Lakers Daily: James Worthy on LeBron: "He should write a book on how to be an athlete, how to prepare, how to train, how to sustain over time, how to keep your body and your mind right. ... We've never seen anything like him. He's just gonna continue to impress us."
![James Worthy: "If you have Austin [in], LeBron out, …](https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/gcdn/content-pipeline-sports-images/sports2/nba/players/214152.png?format=png8&auto=webp&quality=85,75&width=140)
Lakers Daily: James Worthy: "If you have Austin [in], LeBron out, Luka out, you still got a good chance to win because that's just how consistent he is, how much he brings to the table. ... But without him, everybody else suffers."

Jorge Sierra: Nikola Jokic passed Kevin Garnett in assists last night for No. 56 all-time. He also moved ahead of James Worthy in scoring. He's No. 119 in NBA history now.
Advertisement

James Worthy: I remember when Phil Jackson brought Ron Harper here. Ron could still play but more importantly he was really good in the locker room. Now you bring in Marcus Smart, who can still play defense savvy.
N3ON: Who is the hardest player you ever had to guard? Dennis Rodman: The hardest player I had to guard… my lawyer. True story. No, I'm good. I know, James Worthy. How about that? James Worthy for the Lakers. N3ON: Damn. Interesting. Dennis Rodman: Always him.

Even when the right players go high, they don’t always provide those teams with the relationship to winning that they hoped for. Take the top pick. The last No. 1 pick to win an NBA championship with the team that drafted him is Kyrie Irving, who went No. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He is one of just six No. 1 picks since 1980 to do that: Irving, LeBron James (2004, Cleveland Cavaliers), Tim Duncan (1997, San Antonio Spurs), David Robinson (1987, Spurs), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984, Houston Rockets) and James Worthy (1982, Los Angeles Lakers).
Jorge Sierra: Russell Westbrook passed James Worthy in playoff scoring for No. 29 all-time. He also tied Yao Ming in blocks.

Jorge Sierra: Jimmy Butler moved ahead of Richard Hamilton in playoff scoring for No. 42 all-time. He also passed all these guys in rebounds for No. 88 in NBA history: Marc Gasol James Worthy Cliff Hagan Rajon Rondo
Advertisement

Jorge Sierra: Kawhi Leonard passed Klay Thompson and James Worthy in playoff scoring tonight. He's No. 27 all-time now. He also moved ahead of Rasheed Wallace and Nate Thurmond in rebounds for No. 41 in NBA history.

Jorge Sierra: Devin Booker passed Kyle Lowry and James Worthy in scoring last night and is now No. 117 in NBA history at age 28.
Jorge Sierra: Nikola Vucevic passed NBA75 selection James Worthy in scoring yesterday. He's No. 114 all-time now. Also: Devin Booker (age 28) moved ahead of Lou Williams, Terry Porter, Walt Frazier, Artis Gilmore and Rashard Lewis for No. 137. He's in Top 10 all-time trajectory.
James Worthy on Michael Jordan: "I was better than him for about three weeks, and I enjoyed those three weeks because I saw something in that boy. He didn’t have it quite yet, but he was learning. I don’t know much about his high school coach, but Michael Jordan was actually a better baseball player back then. He would seek out the best in everything—chess, backgammon, you name it. If he lost, he’d get so mad, like he’d just lost a Game 7. We’d practice for two and a half hours, running sprints until we were exhausted. Afterward, you just wanted to leave, but here comes Michael, pushing me and saying, 'Where you going, young fella? You scared?' He always wanted to play a little one-on-one. So we’d play, and he was just a bad boy.