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James Worthy isn't saying "good riddance" to LeBron James ... telling TMZ Sports it's a new era of the NBA -- so he'll appreciate the one ring the King brought to the City of Angels. Some folks in Laker Nation were happy to see the four-time champion leave town ... essentially saying he wasn't a good fit for the franchise or could live up to the expectations put on him. Not Worthy, though ... and he pointed to the state of the organization prior to his arrival -- which was "misery."
Derek Fisher: "I think some of it, you think about the greats of Lakers past, many of those guys were kind of born and raised as Lakers for the most part. You think about James Worthy, number one draft pick. You think about Magic Johnson. Even though Kareem was traded to LA, he spent a considerable amount of time here in Los Angeles and really felt like a piece of the fabric of LA. And so many greats, even Shaq, eight years here. It is as though people forgot he played in Orlando as well. But it is the years here in LA that changed everything. Obviously Kobe being here for 20 seasons. And so I think other stars felt more like they became who they were as Lakers and I think a lot of Lakers fans had a difficult time receiving the fact that LeBron was already LeBron before he got here. He didn't owe Lakers fans anything. He was already LeBron. And I think fans had a hard time reconciling how to fully support a guy that didn't need support for anybody."
Q. How do you think that your Showtime teams would do in today's game? James Worthy: The athlete today is a superior athlete. The stamina, the way they approach the game. But I still, for me, I mean if I had to pick a point guard to start my team, I got to pick Magic Johnson every time. Every time. And he could play today. He's got pace. He's got size. I'm not going to say we would dominate. A lot of people say, 'Oh, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic we…' No, I don't think we would dominate, but I think we could hold our own. I think we could we ran plays. Everybody had a play. Today's game, it's open and it's fluid like you said and that would be a problem, the way we guarded. Kareem would have to go out and guard some shooters. So, there would be some disadvantages, but I think we could adapt.
James Worthy: At the premiere of Jerry West “The Logo” documentary w @kaj33 @StephenCurry30 #MitchKupchak #jerrywest @PrimeVideo
At the premiere of Jerry West “The Logo” documentary w @kaj33 @StephenCurry30 #MitchKupchak #jerrywest @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/WXLzVXUcRq
— James Worthy (@JamesWorthy42) April 14, 2026
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James Worthy: Celebrating Byron’s birthday w our Showtime teammates 💜💛 @official_bscott @ShowtimeCooper @bgoodvlade @MagicJohnson @kaj33 #JamaalWilkes #GaryVitti
Celebrating Byron’s birthday w our Showtime teammates 💜💛@official_bscott @ShowtimeCooper @bgoodvlade @MagicJohnson @kaj33 #JamaalWilkes #GaryVitti pic.twitter.com/lmJXpPCUoT
— James Worthy (@JamesWorthy42) March 29, 2026
Lakers Daily: James Worthy says the ball needs to stay in Austin's hands "LeBron's out right now, but when they start the substitution back up again, this guy needs the ball in his hands a lot in order for him to be efficient and productive"
Lakers Daily: James Worthy on LeBron: "He should write a book on how to be an athlete, how to prepare, how to train, how to sustain over time, how to keep your body and your mind right. ... We've never seen anything like him. He's just gonna continue to impress us."
Lakers Daily: James Worthy: "If you have Austin [in], LeBron out, Luka out, you still got a good chance to win because that's just how consistent he is, how much he brings to the table. ... But without him, everybody else suffers."
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Jorge Sierra: Nikola Jokic passed Kevin Garnett in assists last night for No. 56 all-time. He also moved ahead of James Worthy in scoring. He's No. 119 in NBA history now.
James Worthy: I remember when Phil Jackson brought Ron Harper here. Ron could still play but more importantly he was really good in the locker room. Now you bring in Marcus Smart, who can still play defense savvy.
N3ON: Who is the hardest player you ever had to guard? Dennis Rodman: The hardest player I had to guard… my lawyer. True story. No, I'm good. I know, James Worthy. How about that? James Worthy for the Lakers. N3ON: Damn. Interesting. Dennis Rodman: Always him.
Even when the right players go high, they don’t always provide those teams with the relationship to winning that they hoped for. Take the top pick. The last No. 1 pick to win an NBA championship with the team that drafted him is Kyrie Irving, who went No. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He is one of just six No. 1 picks since 1980 to do that: Irving, LeBron James (2004, Cleveland Cavaliers), Tim Duncan (1997, San Antonio Spurs), David Robinson (1987, Spurs), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984, Houston Rockets) and James Worthy (1982, Los Angeles Lakers).
