“Lot of Cocaine”: Drafted 4 Years Before Len Bias’ Tragic Death, James Worthy Broke Down the Varied Changes NBA Went Through Since His Debut

James Worthy was recently on All The Smoke Podcast, where he talked about different topics. One of them, James recounted, was how the NBA changed almost 360 degrees since he first stepped foot in the league. The Lakers legend recalled that teams often flew economy and had only one trainer, who doubled as a dietitian. Worthy, who was drafted 4 years before Len Bias’ tragic death, also mentioned how the league had an issue with drugs and its public image. However, it was something that was taken care of quickly with the arrival of Commissioner David Stern.

David Stern also brought about an economic revolution, according to Worthy. TV contracts didn’t exist for the NBA, but with the rise of the Lakers-Boston rivalry, many parties came knocking. This allowed for more investment and better pay for the players. But with better pay also came stricter rules. These strict anti-drug guidelines by the NBA came just following the death of basketball phenom Len Bias, who died of a cocaine overdose.

James Worthy believes the NBA has changed for the better

James Worthy is very outspoken about his showtime Lakers days. But James wasn’t aware of the lacking image of the league before he got drafted. Worthy recalled how awful things were, as the league didn’t have a drug testing policy, nor did it have any T.V. deals. For many like Worthy, what saved the league was two different events. Firstly was the appointment of David Stern as Commissioner of the NBA. The second was the rise of the Magic and Bird rivalry.

On the All The Smoke Podcast, James further elaborated on the situation of the league. He tells his co-hosts, ” I just wanted to play in the NBA. I had no idea in 82′ that the image was still lacking. Lots of cocaine. From the ABA merging, up until the 70’s, they had no drug policy. They had no T.V. contract. A lot of teams, and you didn’t even know where they were playing. There was a lot of talk about too many black players.”

Worthy would go on to talk about the positives that followed. Talking about the reforms, James said, ” To Commissioner Stern’s credit ( David Stern), he had a vision. He had a vision to clean up the league, which thank god, cause everyone needed that. To have a drug policy where guys could reconcile with themselves. Also, television was big. He started to create television, he had a rivalry with Boston and The Lakers. With Magic and Bird. He had that rivalry.”

Len Bias and War on Drugs

Len Bias’ death had a very unexpected impact on United States policymaking. Len, during the late 80’s would become the poster child of anti-drug campaigns around the United States. This was due to Len himself having overdosed on cocaine two days after being drafted 2nd overall by the Boston Celtics.

Len Bias even had a set of legislations nicknamed after him. The Len Bias Laws have to do with criminalizing the selling of drugs and proposed stricter action against peddlers as well. The case of Len Bias is a tragic one, definitely one of the darkest days in NBA history.