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History, records, upsets, high-scoring classics - and a thrilling finale. The 2026 Six Nations is likely to go down as the best edition in the tournament's history.
History, records, upsets, high-scoring classics - and a thrilling finale. The 2026 Six Nations is likely to go down as the best edition in the tournament's history.
In-Depth Context: James Worthy
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Worthy was a seven-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Team member who won three NBA championships and was voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1988. He was named to both the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. A standout college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the small forward was a consensus first-team All-American and shared national player of the year honors en route to leading his team to the 1982 NCAA championship. Named the NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player, he was selected by the Lakers with the first overall pick of the 1982 NBA draft.
== Early life == Worthy was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. His 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game during his senior season at Ashbrook High School led the team to the state championship game. Named both a Parade Magazine and McDonald's All-American, he was selected to play in the 1979 McDonald's All-American Game, which featured future fellow Hall of Famers including Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and Ralph Sampson.
== College career == After graduating from high school, Worthy attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An immediate standout as a freshman, his debut was cut short near mid-season by a broken ankle. As a sophomore, he was a key member of UNC's 1981 NCAA runner-up team starring alongside Al Wood and Sam Perkins. As a junior power forward Worthy was the leading scorer (15.6 points per game) of a Tar Heels NCAA championship team that featured one of the greatest collections of talent in collegiate basketball history, including future NBA stars sophomore Sam Perkins and freshman Michael Jordan. A consensus first-team All-American, Worthy was named co-winner of the Helms Foundation Player of the Year with Ralph Sampson of Virginia. He dominated the 1982 championship game against the Georgetown Hoyas, sealing the Tar Heels' 63–62 victory by intercepting an inadvertent pass thrown by Hoya point guard Fred Brown with just seconds remaining. His 13–17 shooting, 28 point, 4 rebound finale capped a standout performance throughout the NCAA tournament, earning him its Most Outstanding Player award. A tip dunk in front of Patrick Ewing captioned "James Worthy slams the door on Georgetown" made the cover of Sports Illustrated. In the wake of this success, Worthy elected to forgo his senior year and enter the NBA draft. He completed his degree later, via summer school. He is one of eight players to have their numbers retired by the Tar Heels. In 2002, Worthy was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
== Professional career ==
=== Number 1 pick === The Los Angeles Lakers had received the Cleveland Cavaliers' 1982 first-round draft pick in a 1979 exchange for Don Ford. The Cavaliers finished with the NBA's worst record in the 1981–82 season, leaving a coin toss to decide whether they or the worst record runner-up San Diego Clippers would get the first overall pick in the upcoming draft. The Lakers won the flip, the first and only time a reigning NBA champion picked first overall. They chose Worthy over Dominique Wilkins and Terry Cummings.
=== 1982–1983 === The lanky small forward immediately made an impact as a rookie, averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting a Laker rookie record .579 field goal percentage. With his speed, dynamic ability to score with either hand, and dazzling play above the rim, Worthy thrived in the Lakers' high-octane "Showtime" offense. When not finishing fast breaks with his trademark Statue of Liberty dunks or swooping finger rolls, Worthy was also one of the best post players at his position, with a quick spin move off the low blocks and a deadly turnaround midrange jumpshot. His rookie year ended just when he was hitting his stride, breaking his leg on April 10, 1983, while landing improperly after trying to tap in a missed shot against the Phoenix Suns. He was still named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team but missed the rest of the season and playoffs, with the Lakers being swept 4–0 by the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals.
=== 1983–1984 === Back and healthy for the opening of the 1983–84 season, Worthy began the season as a starter at power forward in place of Kurt Rambis, who was on the injured reserve list. By December, Lakers head coach Pat Riley said that "it's becoming more and more obvious Worthy is not a legitimate power forward" due to his rebounding, describing him as "a finesse guy who likes to get the ball and go with it". The Los Angeles Times wrote that "he really is a small forward in a big forward's body." Worthy returned to the small forward position and came off the bench after Rambis recovered from his foot injuries. Riley cited Rambis's defense and rebounding. Worthy provided offense as a sixth man and was also prone to foul trouble. He developed into one of the league's top small forwards. He remained as a reserve even when All-Star small forward Jamaal Wilkes was sidelined by a gastrointestinal illness during the playoffs, as Riley opted to start Michael Cooper instead. However, Worthy became a starter in the final game of the Western Conference finals against the Suns. He was essential for the Lakers during the 1984 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Late in Game 2, Worthy made an errant cross-court pass that was stolen by Gerald Henderson and taken in for the game-tying score, leading to a Celtics win in overtime. Boston won the series in seven games. Worthy had a very strong Finals, with 22.1 pts per game (second to Abdul-Jabbar) on 63.8% shooting. The Lakers would go into the off-season bitter about the loss and motivated for 1985.
=== 1984–1985 === Worthy
Background information sourced from Wikipedia: James Worthy under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Original Source: A finale worthy of the greatest Six Nations in history
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