The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most successful NBA teams of all time, with five NBA championships in the 1980s alone. One of their greatest players was Magic Johnson, who was drafted by the Lakers in 1979. But did you know that the Lakers also drafted another great player in 1980? That player is none other than Michael Worthy.
Worthy was a shooting guard from Marquette University who averaged 23 points per game as a senior. He was selected with the 13th pick in the first round of the 1980 NBA draft by the Lakers, who had just won their second NBA championship in three years. Worthy played for the Lakers from 1980 to 1991 and helped lead them to two more NBA championships during that time.
There were several factors that contributed to the Lakers drafting Worthy. Firstly, the Lakers had just lost their star shooting guard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had retired after leading the team to victory in the 1979 NBA Finals. The Lakers needed someone to fill that void and Worthy was a talented scorer who could score from anywhere on the court.
Secondly, the Lakers were looking for players with upside who could develop into stars. Worthy had a lot of raw talent and potential, and the Lakers believed he could become a key piece of their team. The Lakers also saw that Worthy had experience playing in the Big East Conference, which was one of the toughest college basketball conferences in the country at the time.
Finally, the Lakers were able to draft Worthy because they had a good relationship with Marquette University. The Lakers had previously drafted several players from Marquette, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Abdullah Rasul, and the university was happy to help them out by recommending Worthy.
In conclusion, the Lakers drafted Michael Worthy in 1980 because they needed someone to fill the void left by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they saw his potential as a star player, and they had a good relationship with Marquette University. Worthy went on to have a successful career with the Lakers, winning two more NBA championships and being named to the All-NBA team in 1986.
