James Worthy On The Dan Patrick Show Full Interview | 6/3/24

James Worthy On The Dan Patrick Show Full Interview | 6/3/24

[Music] [Applause] James Worthy Hall of Famer Laker analyst for spectrum sportset big game James back on the program who gave you that nickname Big Game James uh it was chick Francis Hearn uh the great Laker announcer um during my playoffs uh in the 80s my numbers always inre increase in percentages so there it is and uh I’ve had that name ever since I believe 8586 we were talking about Caitlyn Clark getting roughed up in the game this past weekend and I said it happens to young players your rookie year they want to test you now I know the NBA is different now than it was when you first got there but did you have that hey rookie this ain’t North Carolina so I came into the league number one draft pick I was I wasn’t arrogant but I was I was confident I came in the Laker training camp and I was looking around and I said look I’m good enough to to start here and I walk in there’s kareim magic Jamal wils was still with the team and Norm Nixon was still there and so Kirk ramage walked in and I looked at him and I said he had these big glasses on with the duct tape holding them together he smell like Ben Gay he had all these apparatuses on slow and I stand in my mind I’m going to get that damn spot okay within 15 20 minutes of practice Kurt Ram showed me what a real power forward was in the NBA and I had to go sit my ass on that bench for a couple years because he wasn’t having it okay it was I went from power forward to small forward so I understand the uh initiation and how you’re you know how players look at you it’s part of the game I don’t like the blind you know the blind spot I you know if you’re boxing somebody out or somebody’s coming to the to the cup I you know I I don’t like you know coming from behind doing something like that but that is part of the you know welcome to the WNBA it just is but you had every team had an enforcer it felt like back then didn’t they yeah I mean most teams ours was Kurt mid cup chat came in started a fight with a Keim alijan in 1986 got him kicked out of the game but we still lost everybody remembers Mar Lucas uh I remember guys like Calvin Nat and you know Lonnie Shelton bill amb beir you know uh you know we they were enforcers you know when they came in the game Greg kite you know when he came into the game it was going to be a file so yeah they were enforcers for sure you’re wearing your North Carolina uh sweatshirt there um did we yeah uh when did you know that Michael Jordan was better than you well I was you know I in his documentary you know I I say that you know I was better than Michael Jordan for about three weeks it took about three weeks for him to you know because he always he always thought out the best whether it was bat gaming you know chess cars he wanted to know who the best was so I saw him you know come in and one of the things I think is missing is that you don’t have these college coaches anymore that are ripping ripping your egos away immediately you’re going to be a part of this team and Michael bought into that and with his talent coach Smith just uh just elevated I tease him a lot though he couldn’t win another one uh without without me but uh uh yeah I I knew he was I knew he was because he was a late bloomer Dan he he really had a lot of talent and then it just sged as she you know kept growing and getting old in the NBA but that’s tough because you’re the college player of the year right yeah yeah along with Ral Samson yeah yeah so all of a sudden Mike comes in and you go okay and then all of a sudden you go damn okay yeah I knew he saved us I knew it was right around the ACC tournament he started to really you know make himself known against Virginia and some of those guys Lee raker and Jeff L those guys Michael hit some big shots okay if you go back and look at that game when you look at the geordan First Town game we were kind of you know losing a little bit he hit a big left hand shot over over y one from the corner and then of course you know the big shot he hit in Georgetown uh I had to be the decoy of course that’s why that’s why he was wi but but yeah I I I knew he was I knew he was I knew he had it man yeah we’re talking to James Worthy the Hall of Famer I was recalling a conversation we had years ago when you were talking about when magic hits the guy hook in the garden and Boston still has one possession left and you have one job to do yeah don’t lose sight of Larry Bird I failed I failed how did you lose sight of Larry Bird you know Larry was so smart that I don’t know what they ran the play called but he he diagrammed something where Danny AES was in the corner right so I had Cooper between you know me and Danny a so I was trying to to deny lar bird and then when the referee gave the ball I realized what was happening but it was too late he kept pushing me up a little bit and then Danny a cleared out and that whole side was open and when that ball was in the air I was like I’d already thrown the ball away in in game two in 1984 and now I’m thinking what a defensive dummy allowed him to get the ball he saw me coming he didn’t have much time and I think he did see me out of the uh out of his eye but he he doesn’t miss that shot so I just was lucky very elected how tough was Riley on you guys he was tough it was a it was a time when players would accept the truth and they would you know they would accept where the coach was coming from CRI SI yeah we got pissed sometimes but the video didn’t lie you know it was old school Ral he he prepared us um and you know he had the team as one um you know Kareem and Magic started that before I got there they realized that he was very very tough but that’s what it took in the 80s man it’s it it was hard to get past Utah and Dallas and San anonio and R kept us you know he kept us afloat for many many years and you know we appreciated it even when he made the guarantee that you know we won in ‘ 87 and he guaranteed that and most of them was hung over that morning and we were like what did he just say but he knew he knew we needed that he knew we because the lickers had won one Championship here and there he knew that’s what we needed then that kind of philosophy and you know Psychiatry worked with us who’s the best player in the NBA right now I’ll give you the number one pick um who’s who’s the best player in the NBA right now I would have to say yokers uh the joker I’m sorry the Joker from Denver uh three-time uh MVP uh he’s he’s Kareem Abdul Jabar Magic Johnson all wound in one he can do it all and you know what he does most of all in in besides his individual play he makes his teamates so much better with his passion building he’s he’s a people movie he puts his hands up he moves people out of the way and before you know it he’s in a threat area and he has I have not seen a touch like that since Kareem he doesn’t have a sky hook but he has a jump hook and if the ball touches the rim it’s usually going in so I think I like his attitude his preparation his teamwork um you know ability to get his team gathered you’re an analyst for spectrum Sports Net with the Lakers so I’m curious about this that if the Lakers they’re keeping their 17th overall pick in the first round that the Pelicans declin taking that because the draft is better next year could you see a scenario James where the Lakers use the 17th overall pick on bronny James yeah I could I know unfortunately I don’t want to say unfortunately but it’s just the way the league has grown the trend of what’s Happening social media um you know uh load management there’s so much going on and I I think LeBron stands in the same as like Griffin senior and griffy Jr you know Gordy how and his sons he he wants to get it done even if it’s just for a week so I can see them you know you know maybe being on the uh the the the Laker team or the the G league and then there’s a big national game coming up in a couple of weeks they’ll pull him up and there you have it son and father playing so yeah I mean I I don’t I mean I uh Lebron Bron’s got a lot to prove I think you know I think his combine was pretty good so we’ll see it’s 61 uh it’ll be a challenge but it could be done we’ve seen others did you ever exchange jerseys with players when you were playing no I I didn’t okay I didn’t ask for nothing and didn’t give nothing away no did you later in life did you ask for like a Isaiah Jersey or a bird Jersey or Jordan jersey no no I think I I think I took a pair of Michaels UNC practice jersey somewhere but that was College nah just I I probably donated uh you know more stuff like an Allstar Jersey to a charity than than I’ve asked for anything you ever asked guys to donate I’ve asked other guys to help donate to a to a cause but not personally you ever wonder what your career life would have been like if you had gone to the Cleveland Cavaliers yeah and I talk about that a lot because had Ral Samson decided to go for go his senior year Raph would have gone first Dominic probably would have gone second Terry cumins would have been and I probably would have stayed my senior year and tried to get another championship so I I mean you never know know how it would have gone Cleveland had some really good teams it was just because of Michael Jordan that they didn’t advance so it might have been they have had me to guard Michael they might have advanced to the finals so so you would have been the Jordan stopper I locked him up yeah I lock because you gotta be verbal with Michael you gotta be verbal you gotta talk you gotta talk trash you know you can’t get in his head but you got to make it fun I’m not I don’t know if i’ have stopped him but I with a few hard F yeah but I don’t I don’t want to upset him though James it feels like if you’re you know like bird I don’t I would never want to start talking trash with some of these guys it seemed to make them better gotta meet force with Force two of the biggest trash Talkers in the league why not if they’re doing it you’ll get your ass busted anyway you might as well get it busted going down talking some I’m gonna win one of the vi I’m gonna win trash talking or something wait I would think bird would have respect for you that he wouldn’t give you g Reef he never talked a lot to me because he knew I I brought the Thunder I brought the pain I had I had to guard him I had to guard him up until like fourth quarter then we turned it over um to Michael Cooper but I got many Clips many clips of me waxing Maxwell and bir and ducking I mean yeah they don’t they don’t he didn’t he didn’t say a lot to me yeah I was the guy you didn’t want I was the guy you didn’t want to get ticked off look at you you’re too nice a guy I say I you know when you’re 63 you talk trash more of it that’s all I got great to catch up with you again thanks for joining us as always James you got it D good to see you brother that’s James Worthy Hall of Famer and Laker analyst for spectrum sportset