james-worthy
After being selected as the Los Angeles Lakers’ first overall pick in the 1982 draft, James Worthy entered the league riding a wave of confidence following his national championship win at North Carolina. That confidence, however, quickly backfired after Worthy thought he would steal Kurt Rambis’ spot in the starting lineup.
Worthy admitted to being overconfident
During his appearance on the “Showtime With Coop” podcast, Worthy openly acknowledged that when he first arrived at the Lakers facility, he was brimming with arrogance. Despite being 21, he already saw himself as one of the best players on the roster.
Observing his fellow teammates during practice, he began analyzing whose spot he could snatch to secure a place in the starting lineup. It was during this assessment that he identified Rambis as an easy target.
“I came into the gym, looked at Kareem, and was like, ‘Kareem’s spot’s secure. Magic’s spot is secure.’ Jamaal Wilkes was still with us. I looked at Silk and was like, ‘Nah, I can’t get that yet.’ Norm Nixon’s still there, and then I looked and said, ‘Fu**ing Kurt Rambis,” Worthy said
“Fu**ing guy can’t jump,'” he continued. “He had these glasses with duct tape in the middle, keeping them together. I was like, ‘I’m getting that spot.'”
Rambis showed Worthy his place
Kurt couldn’t match Worthy’s athleticism, reach, and speed. However, all those attributes amounted to nothing when Rambis decided to showcase his skill set.
The 4-time NBA champion humbled Worthy and left him utterly bamboozled, providing him with a unique “Welcome to the NBA” moment.
“Within like 35 minutes of those couple days of practice, Kurt Rambis let me know what a real PF was in the NBA. He beat the crap out of me. All that talent, all that quickness didn’t mean nothing when you got down in the paint with Kurt, man,” Worthy said. “That was my intro to the NBA. Kurt Rambis beat the hell out of me.”
Although Rambis never received All-NBA or All-Star honors, anecdotes like these underscore why he played a significant role during the Lakers’s four title runs in the ’80s.
Meanwhile, it took “Big Game James” two seasons to establish himself as the team’s starter. After that, he never looked back.
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