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James Worthy

Too often James Worthy’s abilities are overshadowed by his teammates.

In the NBA, he played alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the majority of his career. His playing days at North Carolina are forgotten because of the greatest basketball player ever who followed him.

 

Photo courtesy of UNC Athletic Communications

But before Michael Jordan could become the best ever, Worthy was better. The greatest athletic talent that Gastonia, N.C., has ever produced began his collegiate career in 1979 with the Tar Heels. He provided a steady 12.5 points and over seven rebounds per game in only 14 games his freshman campaign.

After being stopped in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Worthy and the Tar Heels received some help on the inside with the addition of Sam Perkins. Worthy stepped up his game at the forward position in the 1980-’81 season, posting 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

He, along with Perkins and starting guard Al Wood, who would finish his career as UNC’s third all-time leading scorer, propelled UNC to a 29-8 record and the national title game. But the Tar Heels would run into the buzzsaw that was the Indiana Hoosiers, led by Bob Knight and Isiah Thomas, and lose 63-50.

But Worthy would not be denied on his next trip. The Ashbrook High School alumnus captained his team to a 32-2 record and into the Louisiana Superdome for the national title game. After locking up first-team All-America honors as well as sharing the national player of the year award with Virginia’s Ralph Sampson, Worthy began the legend of “Big Game James.”

His performance in the championship game ranks among the best showings in UNC title game history. Worthy went 13-for-17 from the field while racking up 28 points — the most points ever by a Tar Heel in a championship game — en route to being named Most Outstanding Player.

Having helped Dean Smith get the monkey off his back and earning every piece of hardware in collegiate basketball, Worthy opted to forgo his senior year and a guaranteed deep run into the NCAA tournament for the NBA, being drafted No. 1 by the Los Angeles Lakers.