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Lakers Nation > Blog > Lakers History > This Day In Lakers History: James Worthy’s No. 42 Jersey Retired
Lakers History

This Day In Lakers History: James Worthy’s No. 42 Jersey Retired

Matthew Moreno
Published: 12/10/2024
2 Min Read
James Worthy, Los Angeles Lakers
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
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On Dec. 10, 1995, the Los Angeles Lakers retired James Worthy’s No. 42 jersey during a halftime ceremony at the Great Western Forum. The Lakers trailed the Detroit Pistons at the time, but came from behind for an 87-82 victory.

Worthy became the sixth player in Lakers history to have his jersey retired. That number has since grown to double digit players, plus a microphone for Chick Hearn. Kobe Bryant notably joined the group on Dec. 18, 2017, when the Lakers retired his Nos. 8 and 24 jerseys.

Worthy was selected by the Lakers with the first overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft and he went on to spend the entirety of his 12-year career with the franchise. During that span he played in 926 regular-season games and 143 playoff games.

The seven-time All-Star won championships with the Lakers in 1985, ’87 and ’88. Worthy was named MVP of the 1988 NBA Finals in which the Lakers defeated the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons in seven games.

Worthy averaged 22 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists during the Finals that year, and registered a triple-double in Game 7, with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.

James Worth career accomplishments

During his career, Worthy averaged at least 20 points in four different seasons, led the Lakers in scoring from 1990-92, and ranks among the all-time franchise leaders in several categories. Worthy was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history during the league’s 50th anniversary season (1996-97).

Other career accomplishments include making the All-Rookie team and twice being named to the All-NBA team. Worthy currently works as a Lakers analyst on the team’s Spectrum SportsNet channel, and he’s provided special instruction to the team’s young forwards in recent years.

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TAGGED:James WorthyLos Angeles Lakers
ByMatthew Moreno
Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com
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