During the 1980s, the Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed a golden era, dominating the NBA and collecting several championships. That team featured elite stars who left a lasting mark on league history—James Worthy among them. Now retired, the forward has picked who he believes is the best player in NBA history
He was teammates with Abdul-Jabbar for seven seasons, from his arrival in the Lakers in 1982 until the center’s retirement in 1989
In that same conversation with Byron Scott, Worthy addressed the GOAT debate and how some people overlook Abdul-Jabbar’s accomplishments.
Before being selected by the Lakers with the first overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft, James Worthy spent three years playing at the University of North Carolina. There, he was teammates with Michael Jordan, giving him a firsthand look at someone who would become one of the sport’s global icons.
The Lakers legend, however, realized early on that MJ was destined for greatness in the NBA.
While Worthy considers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the greatest of all time—and even puts Michael Jordan in a similar category—he chose another superstar as his personal favorite in a 2019 interview with Uninterrupted.
Worthy clearly holds deep respect for the players from his era, but he’s not stuck in the past. In fact, he’s mentioned two current stars as serious contenders in the GOAT debate: Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
As for LeBron, he spoke to All The Smoke in 2023:
After being selected with the first overall pick of the 1982 NBA Draft, James Worthy became a key piece of the Showtime Lakers, who dominated the league in the 1980s and played out unforgettable rivalries with Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. Over his 12-year professional career, the forward won three titles (1985, 1987, and 1988) and played in four other NBA Finals.
Worthy’s talent and winning mentality also earned him individual recognition. He was the Finals MVP in 1988, a seven-time consecutive All-Star, named to both the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, and had his No. 42 jersey retired by the Lakers.
