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Los Angeles Lakers: Top 30 greatest players of all-time

By Ben Beecken

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts in the first half while taking on the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts in the first half while taking on the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers, James Worthy
(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) /

James Worthy. 9. player. 20. . Forward. Los Angeles Lakers

  • 12 seasons with Lakers (1982-94)
  • Averaged 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game
  • 7x All-Star, 3x NBA champion with Lakers

Here’s another 12-year Laker veteran: James “Big Game James” Worthy.

Worthy was drafted out of the University of North Carolina in 1982 and stepped right into the rotation, averaging 13.4 points in 25.6 minutes per game over 77 contests as a rookie. It was just two years later that Worthy was averaging 17.6 points and a career-high 6.4 rebounds per game as the Lakers won the NBA championship, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games in the Finals.

Worthy had seven consecutive seasons from 1985 through 1992 that saw him average at least 19 points per game in the regular season. Throughout the Magic Johnson saga of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Worthy was a constant. He was always there, and he was always scoring.

One of the more impressive things about Worthy’s career was just how efficient he was. While a good post scorer, Worthy stood 6-foot-9 and still had to find creative ways to score efficiently. And he did just that, shooting 52.1 percent from the floor for his career.

Worthy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 and continues to work as a studio and television analyst for Lakers broadcasts. He also assists the Lakers coaching staff in working with the big men on the roster.

In terms of a formula including loyalty to the Lakers brand and organization and overall production, Worthy checks virtually every box and easily cracks the top-10 on this list.

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