Big Game James

I saw the book Showtime by Jeff Pearlman at Barnes & Noble while I was kicking around trying to find some new reading material the other day. It was about the 1980's Los Angeles Lakers of which former UNC great James Worthy was an integral part during his entire 12 year career. I came home and looked up James Worthy's stats and I was surprised to discover he had only won two major awards during his professional career. He was named to the 1983 NBA All-Rookie team and he won the 1988 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. At some point and time in his career he was tagged with the nickname "Big Game James" for his ability to play his best in the most important games. This really started while he was at North Carolina. I will never forget his 28 point performance against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Championship game. He took it to Patrick Ewing. Ewing blocked several shots early in the game (all goal tending call) in an effort to intimidate Worthy and the Tarheels but it wasn't about to happen. Worthy was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1982 NCAA Tournament and was the #1 Draft Pick by the Los Angeles Lakers after he decided to turn pro. He was elected to the NBA Hall Of Fame in 2003 and was later named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history. His #52 hangs in the rafters at the Dean Dome and his #42 has been retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.