James Worthy Joins Lakers’ Coaching Staff

To kick off Media Day the Lakers made a splash by announcing that James Worthy has been hired in a coaching position.

Worthy re-joins former teammate Byron Scott on the Lakers’ bench, this time as a player development coach. This new position will not preclude Worthy from his other position as a Laker analyst on Time Warner Cable Sportsnet.

More from Lakers News

Worthy of course was an enormous part of the Lakers’ Showtime era. The Lakers drafted Worthy first overall in the 1982 season and he played for the team for twelve seasons before retiring in 1994 at 32 years old. Worthy is one of the greatest players not just in Laker history, but NBA history as well. Worthy’s accolades include three NBA championships, one NCAA championship, one Finals MVP, and seven All-Star appearances.

In 2003 Worthy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and in 1995 the Lakers retired his number.

Worthy will join the coaching staff to help teach the big men on the team how to be efficient and effective in the post. Worthy worked with the team last summer in a similar capacity, but he was not given an official coaching position.

There are few better teachers the team could ask for than “Big Game” James Worthy. Big Game James is fifth in Lakers history in field goals made, seventh in field goal percentage, and fourth in total games played. Mitch was excited and complementary of Worthy’s addition to the staff:

"“James was one of the best forwards to ever play the game,” said Kupchak. “We feel he will be a valuable addition to the coaching staff and will do an excellent job teaching our group of big men. We are pleased and fortunate to welcome him back to the organization.”"

With so many young forwards and centers on the roster, Worthy’s knowledge will be invaluable. Julius Randle is only 20 years old and is still a raw athlete. Metta World Peace and Roy Hibbert both described Randle as a “sponge”. Extended lessons from James Worthy will be invaluable to the young man’s development and success.

Worthy also made a career out of running the fast break with Magic Johnson and Byron Scott on the wings. Here‘s some proof of just how dynamic and powerful their fast breaks were in the 1980s. Worthy will likely prove to be a valuable asset in showing the Lakers how to run an efficient and effective fast break, something the team was not good at last season.

Congratulations to Big Game! The Lakers have a rich history of players, it’s great to see them go to that well to impart knowledge on the next group. Worthy’s contributions will help drive this young cast forward to hopefully get the purple and gold back to their gold standard.

Next: Jackson on Kobe: 'It May Be His Last Year as a Laker'

More from Lake Show Life