James Worthy is the only ‘Showtime Lakers member who has gone under the radar for his contributions to the franchise’s success during the 1980s.To date, the 61-year-old doesn’t receive the respect he deserves!
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While Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar are often praised for their roles as the protagonists on the Lakers roster that terrorized the league. Worthy is often omitted for his contributions, considering he made multiple clutch shots in pivotal games.
The Los Angles Lakers selected him as the 1st overall pick in the 1982 draft. Although he had a comparatively short-lived NBA career that was riddled with injuries, the forward was a decorated superstar when he called it quits.
During his time in the league, Worthy played against some of the foremost names in the league. Including Michael Jordan, George Gervin, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, and multiple other superstars.
“Big Game James” at long last has made his pick.
Also read: 19 y/o Michael Jordan beat Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler as a freshman at North Carolina
James Worthy picks George Gervin over other NBA Champions
James Worthy recently appeared on the Knuckleheads podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. The trio had an interesting discussion that revolved around numerous subjects. However, it was Worthy’s response to a ‘Start, Bench and Trade’ question.
The Silent Assassin was asked who he would start, bench, and trade from George Gervin, Larry Bird, and Julius Erving. While his response might surprise some, his reasoning for his choices is justified.
Worthy said:
“Okay, so Iceman is buckets anywhere on the floor. I told you I had one of my best defensive games ever against Iceman and the assistant coach Bill Berker came up to me and he’s like ‘best defense ever against Ice, I’ve never seen anybody play defense against Ice like you did…’ And I looked at coach and I said coach, he just dropped 47 on my a**, what you talking about?!.. So I gotta keep Ice man…But Larry Bird, I gotta keep Larry cos Doc didn’t really have the outside shot…He could get to the bucket, Ice could do it all from anywhere..Larry could just flat-out score and give you numbers”
The brilliant aspect of some of these podcasts and the guests they host are the insights they bring. Larry Bird in his own respect is an all-time great as well, as explained by Worthy here.
While a large number of the current generation of fans might not remember exactly who Gervin is or what his accomplishments are, the ones that have stood against him are aware of just how prodigious a talent he was.
Also read: James Worthy revealed Lakers’ $1.1 million worth ‘Superman’ used to beat the heck out of him
George Gervin: The Iceman!
While household names like Larry Bird and Julius Erving are prominent in the media today, a phenomenal talent such as Gervin himself isn’t paid the credit he’s due.
His term with the San Antonio Spurs was magnificent. A nine-time NBA ‘All-Star’, Getvin was hailed as the talisman for a Spurs side that was dominant in the Western Conference.
Despite not winning a championship during his NBA career, the ‘Iceman’ earned the respect of his colleagues for his impeccable and well-rounded game.
Also read: James Worthy had to pay $5000 to the police before he was allowed to play an NBA game
