"I probably would have stayed" - James Worthy talks about the biggest what-if of his career
James Worthy was the Los Angeles Lakers' No.1 overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft out of North Carolina. 'Big Game James' entered the Draft after winning the 1982 NCAA men's basketball tournament as a member of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels team that included the likes of Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan.
However, Worthy said he might not have been a Laker had big man sensation Ralph Sampson not entered the 1982 NBA Draft. Speaking on the latest episode of the Dan Patrick Show, James talked about the biggest 'what-if' of his NBA career.
"Had Ralph Sampson decided to forego his senior year, Ralph would have gone first. Dominic probably would have gone second, Terry Cummings would have been…And I probably would have stayed my senior year and tried to get another championship," said Worthy.
Everybody wanted Ralph
The 7'4'' Sampson was the most coveted college player during the early 1980s. In 1982, he seriously considered passing up his final season at the University of Virginia to enter the NBA Draft. However, with the possibility that he would end up with the San Diego Clippers, the big man chose to return for his senior year.
That opened up the opportunity for Worthy, who was then a junior at UNC. Although it was the freshman Jordan who hit the game-winner, 'Big Game James' led the Tar Heels in scoring during that game, dropping 28 points on 13-17 shooting and being named as the Final Four MVP.
Because of his performance in the NCAA title game, James' stock soared, and without Sampson in the 1982 NBA Draft, Worthy became the best prospect available. He ended up joining a Lakers team that already had Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"So I mean you never know how it would have gone," added 'Big Game James.' "Cleveland had some really good teams. It was just because of Michael Jordan that they didn't advance. So it might have been they'd have me to guard Michael they might have advanced to the Finals."
The Cavs traded their first-round pick to the Lakers
Not entering the 1982 NBA Draft was just one of the what-ifs for Worthy. The other was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That's because the pick that L.A. used to draft James originally belonged to the Cavs, who shipped it to the Lakers in 1979 for Don Ford and L.A.'s 1980 first-round pick.
Had the Cavaliers not traded their 1982 pick, they could have drafted Worthy. Of course, there's another what-if because the Lakers had to win a coin flip against the San Diego Clippers to earn the right to pick first overall. But that's another story.
Worthy playing for the Cavaliers could have altered the Cavs' fortunes. And yes, it could have easily been James instead of Craig Ehlo defending MJ's iconic Game 5 game-winner during the first-round playoff series between the Cavs and Bulls in 1989.
That 1989 Cavs team had Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper, Hot Rod Williams, and Larry Nance. Had they not been upset by the Bulls in round one, Worthy has a point that they could have gone deeper in the playoffs, perhaps making it to the NBA Finals.
