What is James Worthy's Net Worth?
James Worthy is a retired American professional basketball player who has a net worth of $8 million. During his NBA career James Worthy earned $11.85 million in total salary. His highest-paid season was his second-to-last season, 1992-1993, when he earned $1.85 million from the Lakers. Earning $1.85 million in 1992 is the same as earning $3.5 million in today's dollars.
James Worthy is a former professional basketball player who has a net worth of $12 million. James Wortyh played for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers from 1982 to 1994. With the team, he won three NBA championships in the latter half of the 1980s, and was named the NBA Finals MVP for his third tournament win in 1988. Earlier, as a college basketball player, Worthy helped lead the North Carolina Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA championship title.
Early Life and High School
James Worthy was born on February 27, 1961 in Gastonia, North Carolina. As a teenager, he was a star basketball player at Ashbrook High School, leading his team to the state championship game in his senior year. Worthy was also chosen to play in the 1979 McDonald's All-American Game. The same year, he represented the United States men's national team at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Brazil, leading the team to a gold medal.
Collegiate Career
For college, Worthy attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played basketball for the Tar Heels. After a freshman season that was truncated due to a broken ankle, Worthy helped the Tar Heels to a runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament in 1981. He took the team all the way the following year, winning the 1982 NCAA championship title alongside such fellow future NBA stars as Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins. Worthy was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Due to his success, he chose to forgo his senior year at UNC and enter the NBA draft.
Los Angeles Lakers
In the 1982 NBA draft, Worthy was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers. He had an impressive rookie season with the team, averaging 13.4 points per game and posting a .579 field goal percentage, a record for a Lakers rookie. Worthy quickly became renowned for his speed and spectacular "Statue of Liberty" dunks. However, his season ended prematurely in April due to a broken leg. Worthy came back strong for the 1983-84 season to help the Lakers advance to the NBA Finals, where they ultimately lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. The team faced off against the Celtics again in the 1985 NBA Finals, this time emerging victorious in six games. Although the Lakers narrowly missed the Finals in 1986, Worthy earned his first of seven consecutive All-Star selections. The next season was among the Lakers' best, as the team posted a 65-17 record en route to another NBA championship title, once again by beating the Celtics in six games. Worthy dominated the playoffs that year, leading the Lakers with 23.6 points per game.
In the 1987-88 regular season, Worthy averaged 19.7 points per game and scored a career-high 38 points against the Atlanta Hawks. He once again led the Lakers in scoring in the playoffs, culminating in an NBA Finals appearance against the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers went on to defeat the Pistons in seven games, giving Worthy his third NBA championship title; moreover, he was named the NBA Finals MVP. In 1989, the Lakers and the Pistons faced off in an NBA Finals rematch, but this time the Pistons won in a sweep despite the incredible performance of Worthy, who recorded a career-high 40 points in the fourth and final game. The next season, the Lakers led the NBA with a 63-19 record, but fell to the Phoenix Suns in the Conference semifinals. Worthy led the team back to the NBA Finals in 1991, but struggled with an ankle injury as the Chicago Bulls won the championship in five games. Unfortunately, that injury marked the beginning of the end of his playing career, as further injuries over the subsequent years robbed him of his speed and leaping ability. In late 1994, Worthy announced his retirement after 12 seasons in the NBA.
Paul A. Hebert/Getty Images
Post-NBA Playing Career
After retiring from professional playing, Worthy became a studio basketball analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet, as well as a cohost on the network's "Access SportsNet" pregame and postgame shows. Additionally, he served as an NBA analyst on Los Angeles's KCBS-TV. In 2015, Worthy was hired by his former team the Lakers to work with the coaching staff.
Personal Life
In 1984, Worthy wed Angela Wilder; they had first met in 1981 at UNC, where Wilder was a cheerleader for the Tar Heels. The pair had two daughters before divorcing in 1996.
Worthy has run into some legal trouble. In late 1990, he was arrested in Houston, Texas during a sting operation and was charged with two counts of solicitation and prostitution. On top of a year of probation, Worthy was fined $1,000 and ordered to do 40 hours of community service.
Real Estate
In 1997 James bought a relatively modest home in Bel Air, Los Angeles for $945,000. He sold the house in 2015 for a little over $2 million.
