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Player profile · LAL

James Worthy

James Worthy stats, teams and career impact

#283 all-timeCareer averages · 17.6 PPG · 5.1 RPG · 3.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded

Position
Small forward
Final NBA team
Los Angeles Lakers
Height / weight
6 ft 9 in (206 cm) · 225 lb (102 kg)
Born
February 27, 1961 (65 yrs old)
College
UNC
NBA seasons
12 seasons · 1982–83 to 1993–94

Career summaryJames Worthy was a small forward who played 12 NBA seasons, from 1982–83 through 1993–94.

Career PPG
17.6
Career RPG
5.1
Career APG
3.0
Best-Season Impact Rank
#23 in 1985–86
Career Impact Rank
#283 all-time
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded

Career overview

Why James Worthy ranks #283 all time

James Worthy ranks #283 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #30.0. His full-career value ranks #181, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.

Peak#23 in 1985–86

Best league finish

Sustained excellence12 ranked seasons

450+ minutes required per season

Career breadth12 seasons

926 games · Career Value Rank #181

NBA honors7× All-Star · 2× All-NBAContext only; honors are not model inputs.

Head to head

Compare James Worthy with…

Choose any two players →

Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.

  1. Lou Hudson Similar career path
  2. Bob Dandridge Similar career path
  3. Cedric Maxwell Similar career path
  4. Jack Twyman Similar career path
  5. Jeff Mullins Similar career path
  6. Bailey Howell Similar career path
  7. Rodney McCray Same-era comparison
  8. Sleepy Floyd Same-era comparison
  9. Mark Aguirre Same-era comparison
  10. Danny Ainge Same-era comparison
Suggested comparisons, not a ranking of search traffic.
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources

Full team history

Teams
Los Angeles Lakers

Career shooting

NBA regular season
Field goal
52.1%FG%
Three-point
24.1%3P%
Free throw
76.9%FT%

926 career games · 30,001 minutes

Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.

Traditional box score

James Worthy stats by season

Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.

Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →

1993–9410.22.31.9-2.12LAL80220.040.6%28.8%74.1%#216-3.7
1992–9314.93.03.4+0.01LAL826928.844.7%27.0%81.0%#11294.8
1991–9219.95.64.7+1.09LAL545439.044.7%20.9%81.4%#69125.7
1990–9121.44.63.5+1.43LAL787438.649.2%28.9%79.7%#61202.1
1989–9021.16.03.6+2.77LAL808037.054.8%30.6%78.2%#28283.5
1988–8920.56.03.6+1.96LAL818136.554.8%8.7%78.2%#39244.5
1987–8819.75.03.9+1.48LAL757235.453.1%12.5%79.6%#43190.6
1986–8719.45.72.8+1.51LAL828234.453.9%0.0%75.1%#41209.6
1985–8620.05.22.7+2.88LAL757332.757.9%0.0%77.1%#23256.5
1984–8517.66.42.5+0.43LAL807633.757.2%0.0%77.6%#82140.6
1983–8414.56.32.5+0.57LAL825329.555.6%0.0%75.9%#70134.0
1982–8313.45.21.7+0.76LAL77125.657.9%25.0%62.4%#74117.7
Career17.65.13.0—LAL926—32.452.1%24.1%76.9%——

Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.

Film evidence

James Worthy highlights

Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.

Career mixtape

James Worthy career mixtape

James Worthy's career mixtape adds visual context to the numbers on this page, especially his open-floor speed, post footwork and big-game scoring for the Lakers. The vetted footage complements the season tables and impact model.

What these measures mean
Era-centered box impact
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
Impact Rate Rank
The player's place among qualified players in one season.
Value contribution / Season Value
Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
Career Impact Rank
An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
Best 5#294

34.8 average league finish

Career Value Rank#181

1,996 total value

Career standing

How James Worthy ranks all time

These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.

Number-one seasons0

Best in the league

Top-five seasons0

Elite finishes

Top-ten seasons0

Upper-tier finishes

Top-10 Impact Margin0.0

Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons

Career Composite Score36.0

Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.

Best 3 effective weight
74%
Missing-season finish
—
Qualified seasons
12
All-time rank
#283
Strongest seasons

Every season

James Worthy advanced stats by season

Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.

More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
1993–94Historical Defense EstimateLAL32801,597-2.1226.1#216-3.724thBroad
1992–93Historical Defense EstimateLAL31822,359+0.0162.4#11294.870thBroad
1991–92Historical Defense EstimateLAL30542,108+1.0976.5#69125.775thBroad
1990–91Historical Defense EstimateLAL29783,008+1.4379.4#61202.187thBroad
1989–90Historical Defense EstimateLAL28802,960+2.7790.6#28283.592ndBroad
1988–89Historical Defense EstimateLAL27812,960+1.9685.6#39244.590thBroad
1987–88Historical Defense EstimateLAL26752,655+1.4883.2#43190.686thBroad
1986–87Historical Defense EstimateLAL25822,819+1.5184.4#41209.689thBroad
1985–86Historical Defense EstimateLAL24752,454+2.8891.3#23256.593rdBroad
1984–85Historical Defense EstimateLAL23802,696+0.4368.0#82140.678thBroad
1983–84Historical Defense EstimateLAL22822,415+0.5772.2#70134.077thBroad
1982–83Historical Defense EstimateLAL21771,970+0.7671.1#74117.774thBroad

Career movement

James Worthy's career impact by season

Peak +2.88 in 1985–86 · 12 seasons · 30,001 minutes

The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.

Era-centered box impactMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload

Career comparison

Compare the shape, not the calendar

Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.

Open full comparison →
James WorthyLou Hudson
Era-centered box impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average · dashed marker means the player did not play
James Worthy and Lou Hudson era-centered impact values by NBA season number
NBA seasonJames WorthyLou Hudson
10.8-0.4
20.60.7
30.42.1
42.91.7
51.5-0.0
61.52.4
72.01.6
82.82.7
91.4-0.2
101.10.6
110.0-1.2
12-2.1-1.2
13Did not play-1.2

NBA season number

Similar career arcs

Players with careers similar to James Worthy

The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.

How to read this page

Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →