50 Greatest NBA Players ever - 41 to 50 on our Best NBA Players list

#43 James Worthy

Los Angeles Lakers James Worthy...

Career averages: 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks per game

Shooting percentages: 52.1% from the field, 24.1% from 3-point range, 76.9% on free throws

Career accolades: 7-time All-Star (1986-1992), 2-time All-NBA 3rd Team selection (1990, 1991), 3-time NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP (1988)

Records: First player to record a triple-double in Game 7 of an NBA Finals series

Big Game James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the #1 overall pick in the 1982 NBA draft - a pick dealt by the Cleveland Cavaliers to them in 1979 that led to the institution of the Stepien rule, which states that a franchise cannot deal its first-round picks from successive years in a trade.

In a 12-year career with the storied Los Angeles Lakers franchise, Worthy achieved everything that a baller dreams of when entering the league. Ever a team player, Worthy found himself in the perfect spot to make use of his effective transition play and prowess from the post, benefiting from Magic's pinpoint passes and the Lakers' Showtime, fast-paced style of play.

He set a Lakers rookie record in field goal percentage with 57.9% shooting from the field, coming off the bench in all but 1 game of his rookie season. But an injury ruled him out of the postseason, and the Lakers succumbed to a 4-0 sweep at the hands of Julius Erving and Moses Malone's Sixers team. They made it back to the Finals next year again, but lost in probably the greatest Finals series of all time to the Celtics in 7 games.

Worthy was an instrumental member of the Lakers team that wrested the title back from the Celtics the following year, and was voted into his first All-Star game appearance in the following season. A 4-1 loss in the Conference playoffs notwithstanding, Worthy raised his scoring volume to counter Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's declining averages and keep the Lakers relevant.

Worthy's increased scoring benefited the Lakers immensely, as they went on to win back-to-back titles in 1987 and 88. Worthy's Game 7 performance in the 88 Finals (36 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) enabled him to win Finals MVP honors for the first and only time in his career.

They made it to a 3rd successive Finals series in 1989, but the loss of Magic and Scott to injury meant that Worthy's best efforts weren't enough for the Lakers to stave off a sweep at the hands of the Bad Boy Pistons. The Lakers lost in the Conference Finals to the Blazers in 1990 but reentered the Finals for one last time in Worthy's career in 1991 in a battle that pitted him as the primary scorer against college teammate Michael Jordan.

Following Magic's retirement due to an HIV diagnosis, Worthy became the undisputed franchise leader for 3 years. Declining health caused him to retire at the relatively early age of 33, accelerating the Lakers' rebuilding process.