Worthy made an incredibly bold claim about Doncic on Spectrum SportsNet after he scored 60 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, in the Lakers’ 134-126 win over the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on Thursday. “Historically, the Lakers have had clutch players,” Worthy said.

“Kareem Abdul Jabbar with the sky hook, Magic Johnson with his play, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Fisher hitting 0.4. But I don’t think we’ve ever seen one as consistent and as dominant as Luka Doncic. The way he controls the game with the ball in his hand. And a shot maker. He’s a shot maker, Chris McGee, from anywhere. And he’s really good at drawing fouls, too.”

Is Worthy right?

It is difficult to evaluate the statement made by Worthy. From his perspective, there is some truth to it, but there is also a lack of complete statistical context, and one key factor is game-winning buzzer beaters. Bryant leads this group with eight, followed by Abdul Jabbar, Johnson, and Doncic with three each, while O’Neal is at the bottom with just one. Doncic still has time to close that gap with Bryant.

The support behind Doncic’s case

Against the Heat, the Slovenian re-entered the game with 7:35 left in the fourth quarter. The Lakers led 105-98 at that point, and he carried them the rest of the way with those 20 points. Doncic made one shot after another when the Heat were threatening to make it a one-possession game and ensured the visitors secured the win comfortably in the end.

He finished the game with 60 points, 18-30 from the field, along with seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals. His performance stands out as one of the most dominant scoring displays in recent games.

Doncic also delivered in the clutch in the Lakers’ 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. The 27-year-old recorded 10 points in the fourth quarter that night to lead his team to victory.

Doncic, who is shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three in the clutch this NBA season, can score from anywhere on the court, and it does not matter how well defenses play him, he is arguably the best tough shot maker in the game, which makes him clutch not only because of his scoring ability but also because of his overall impact on the game.

In a 2024 conversation with his former Lakers teammate Byron Scott, Worthy was tasked with putting together his ultimate team based on players he watched before, during, and after his own career. Naturally, the former forward leaned toward players he either played alongside or faced on the court.

“Magic at one,” James began, in a pick that was almost a given. Earvin Johnson is considered by many—including Michael Jordan—the greatest point guard of all time. It makes sense that one of his Lakers teammates would echo that sentiment. Together, Magic and Worthy won three titles in 1985, 1987, and 1988. Before that, the guard had also won championships in 1980 and 1982.

“MJ at two,” the former forward continued, referring to the shooting guard in his imaginary lineup. In this case, he admitted it wasn’t an easy call between Jordan and Bryant. “Oh, I left Kobe out. It’s hard. I love Kobe, but MJ… I got to touch MJ a little bit before Kobe.”

“My small forward? I need me a scorer, man. I got to go with Larry,” Worthy said next. The pick highlights how impactful Bird was during his playing years, especially considering the Boston Celtics were the Lakers’ main rivals in the 1980s.

When it came to power forward, James voiced his dilemma. “It’s between Tim Duncan or Karl Malone,” he said. The debate underscored a key question: whether to go with a rival from his playing days, like Malone of the Utah Jazz, or a younger star like Duncan. “I’m going to go with Karl Malone at four.”

For the final spot, Worthy didn’t hesitate. “Kareem is my center,” he said, in another obvious pick given Abdul-Jabbar’s impact and enduring legacy in the NBA. Still, he acknowledged it wasn’t an easy choice: “That’s a tough decision because there’s some bad (expletive) out there.”

After naming his all-time NBA starting five, James Worthy was asked to pick his all-time Lakers team. Unsurprisingly, he repeated two of the names from his previous list, while adding a few more: “Kareem, Magic, Kobe, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor… That would be my five,” said the three-time NBA champion.

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a great physics player…Kobe’s that kind of player. He studies space and steps, and whatever it takes to give him an edge. And I think that’s what he does that puts him up and beyond most players,” James Worthy said, via the Washington Post.

During his 1.560 NBA games, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 points. He also added 11.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Beyond the numbers, he established his dominance with a legendary résumé. He earned six MVP awards and shattered scoring records. His all-time scoring mark stood firm for 38 years, cementing his status among the greatest.

Moreover, both legends influence extended beyond the court. James Worthy, a Lakers icon himself, has repeatedly named Abdul-Jabbar the greatest of all time. However, he still acknowledges the lasting impact Kobe made. He recognizes the legacy Kobe built across 20 unforgettable years with the franchise.

Kobe Bryant played 1.346 games within the franchise and averaged 25 points. He contributed 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest. More importantly, his relentless discipline and mental toughness transformed the Lakers. He changed the team’s identity and inspired a new competitive standard.

James Worthy gives high praise on Kobe Bryant’s impressive work ethic ‘Kobe had an old-school mentality’

Beyond his championships and stats with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant built a lasting legacy through an unmatched work ethic. His teammates, including Shaquille O’Neal, often said he arrived early to practice and stayed long after it ended. This mindset was not just routine; it was his identity. He called it the ‘Mamba Mentality,’ a personal code focused on hard work, chasing dreams, and constantly getting better.

That commitment stood out to legends who came before him. In a 2003 interview with The Washington Post, Lakers great James Worthy explained what made Kobe different. “Kobe has an old-school mentality…His work ethic is second to none, and I think he’s totally aware of what he’s had to do to get better each year…A lot of guys depend on their athleticism and what they’ve done in the past. He does a lot to make himself better.“

“When we did not get Mark Williams in that trade, I knew we could be successful throughout the regular season,” Worthy said on Spectrum SportsNet. “But as you know, and as we’ve seen, once you get locked into a seven-game series — look at what happened to Cleveland — things change. A lot of teams that are favored don’t always pull through. I still don’t think the synergy was ever fully there with Luka. A lot of elements were missing.”

The front office made it clear they had no intention of breaking up the LeBron James–Anthony Davis core—until Doncic became available. But since bringing in the Slovenian star, the Lakers have struggled to form a cohesive unit around their new trio. The chemistry never fully clicked, and that instability showed in the NBA postseason.

Worthy also revisited one of the most pivotal missteps following the Doncic trade—the failed pursuit of Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams. The Lakers backed out of a deal that would’ve addressed their glaring frontcourt weakness, a decision that left them without a true starting center during the final stretch. The void proved costly in key matchups.

“The bigs went away for a while, until they revolutionized themselves,” Worthy said. “Now you’ve got Jokic and other centers shooting threes. Brook Lopez was almost out of the league before he learned to shoot from deep. So, yes, the center position is huge now—especially defensively. Look at what Minnesota has done with Gobert. Not a major scorer, but a dominant rim protector. It’s guys like Bam [Adebayo], [Jarrett] Allen, [Evan] Mobley—athletic bigs who can run the floor and protect the paint.”

The Lakers, meanwhile, ran into a Timberwolves team that had continuity and chemistry on their side. Minnesota’s core has been together longer and it showed, with crisp execution and a defensive identity that overwhelmed L.A. in their brief postseason run.

By contrast, the Lakers were a team in transition. As Worthy emphasized, the lack of cohesion and synergy was evident. The roster underwent a major shakeup to accommodate Doncic, and although LeBron and Davis remained, the supporting cast was still adapting—leaving the team vulnerable against more established playoff squads.

Heading into the offseason, the Lakers are expected to retool once again. The priority will be building a system that leverages both LeBron and Doncic’s unique playmaking abilities, while also finding the right balance with rising contributor Austin Reaves. For now, the experiment remains a work in progress, with no guarantees of immediate success.

“I played with Kareem, who I think is the greatest player to ever play the game,” Worthy said during a 2019 interview with Uninterrupted. He was teammates with Abdul-Jabbar for seven seasons, from his arrival in the Lakers in 1982 until the center’s retirement in 1989.

“To me, Kareem (is the GOAT). Not too many people won three national championships in college and held the (scoring) record for 39 years without shooting a three. People say, ‘He wasn’t athletic. Blah Blah.’ Kareem and Wilt (Chamberlain) were extremely athletic,” James said during a 2024 appearance on Byron Scott’s Fast Break.

“The discipline, the yoga, the meditation,” Worthy listed as some of the things that helped Abdul-Jabbar remain at basketball’s elite level. “Kareem went through a few decades, you know… Nate Thurman, to this day Kareem says he was the best defensive player ever. Then he goes through Patrick Ewing and (Hakeem) Olajuwon and keeps moving. So, he went through five decades of some of the best centers and survived till the end. So, say what you want, but he gets my vote.”

Speaking about the personality of his former Lakers teammate, the three-time NBA champion shared with the New York Times in 2022: “Most people wouldn’t mess with Kareem. You could prank him now and then, but man, he was gonna get redemption. It’s hard to get Kareem to open up. But if you talk about history or jazz, you’ve got him. And you’ve got him for a long time.”

Worthy calls out younger fans who never saw Kareem play

In that same conversation with Byron Scott, Worthy addressed the GOAT debate and how some people overlook Abdul-Jabbar’s accomplishments. “How you gonna say whose the greatest without seeing Kareem’s full body of work?” the forward began.

“How you gonna say, ‘It’s Michael (Jordan).’ Because you were born in 1995? Or ’80, still you haven’t seen people’s full bodywork,” James added. “People who hadn’t seen Kareem, they need to stay out of the question here unless you have seen all that.”

Michael Jordan’s greatness, according to Worthy

Before being selected by the Lakers with the first overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft, James Worthy spent three years playing at the University of North Carolina. There, he was teammates with Michael Jordan, giving him a firsthand look at someone who would become one of the sport’s global icons.

“I was better than him… for about three weeks,” Worthy told Byron Scott. “And I enjoyed those three weeks, ’cause I saw something in that boy that he didn’t have it quite yet. He was learning. But he would seek out the best in everything: chess, backgammon. And if he lost, he was irately made like he just lost a Game 7.”

The Lakers legend, however, realized early on that MJ was destined for greatness in the NBA. “I knew he was going to be an All-Star, but I didn’t know he was going to be, possibly, the best player ever,” he told AAC Digital Network in 2017.

Worthy’s favorite player

While Worthy considers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the greatest of all time—and even puts Michael Jordan in a similar category—he chose another superstar as his personal favorite in a 2019 interview with Uninterrupted. “If I had to choose one player, I would choose Magic,” James said about Johnson.

“He enhances everybody three times more than you could ever. He wills stuff, he wills games. When he has to perform, he’s done it. He’s a winner. When you need that guy that can will stuff, that’s what he does. That’s why I would choose him,” explained Worthy, who played alongside Magic for 10 seasons.

Worthy highlights two current stars in the GOAT debate

Worthy clearly holds deep respect for the players from his era, but he’s not stuck in the past. In fact, he’s mentioned two current stars as serious contenders in the GOAT debate: Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

“If you’re talking like top seven guys who can be the greatest of all time, he’s in there, in my opinion,” Worthy said of Durant in a 2024 interview with ClutchPoints. “He’s just a phenomenal player who has impacted the game in ways few others have.”

As for LeBron, he spoke to All The Smoke in 2023: “His ability to will reminds me of Magic. You’re comfortable with him on the floor because you know something is going to happen good. An assist guy, scorer. So, I like his body of work and obviously he’ll be mentioned in the top three or four.”

The career of James Worthy

After being selected with the first overall pick of the 1982 NBA Draft, James Worthy became a key piece of the Showtime Lakers, who dominated the league in the 1980s and played out unforgettable rivalries with Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. Over his 12-year professional career, the forward won three titles (1985, 1987, and 1988) and played in four other NBA Finals.

Worthy’s talent and winning mentality also earned him individual recognition. He was the Finals MVP in 1988, a seven-time consecutive All-Star, named to both the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, and had his No. 42 jersey retired by the Lakers.

Leonard led the Clippers with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in 35 minutes on the court. His effort not only helped the team secure a crucial win but also moved him up two spots on the NBA Playoffs all-time scoring list.

With 3,040 points, Kawhi now holds the 27th spot on the list, surpassing Los Angeles Lakers icon James Worthy (now 29th with 3,022) and Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson (now 28th with 3,032).

And that’s not all—thanks to his performance Thursday night, the Clippers forward also improved his standing in total rebounds. He now ranks 41st on the NBA Playoffs all-time rebounding list with 1,109, passing Rasheed Wallace (1,099) and Nate Thurmond (1,101).

Who are the top scorers in NBA Playoffs history?

With at least three more games guaranteed in this year’s NBA postseason, Kawhi Leonard has room to keep climbing the all-time playoff points leaderboard. The next target? A former teammate from the San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili. The Argentine shooting guard ranks 26th with 3,054 points—just 14 ahead of Kawhi.

Further up the list but still within reach is Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving, who has 3,088 points. Among active players still in the playoffs, the closest to Kawhi is his Clippers teammate James Harden, who sits 14th with 3,834 points.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is on the verge of entering the top ten with 4,017 points, a mark he’s likely to surpass this postseason. Kevin Durant is 7th with 4,985 points—a number he won’t be able to improve this year, as the Phoenix Suns did not qualify for the playoffs. The top spot, of course, belongs to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, with 8,202 points.

“Luka, I mean, I haven’t seen anybody like him,” Worthy assured in a conversation on Spectrum SportsNet. “Magic didn’t shoot the three, but I haven’t seen anybody like this kid, since Magic Johnson, control the game like he does… The way he manipulates the game, it’s just amazing how he does it.”

This enormous praise from the three-time NBA champion came after the Lakers‘ 120-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. There, Luka led the team with an impressive 31-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist performance.

“He doesn’t try to outquick you, he uses his size and his strength to get to certain areas. And when he gets into that threat area, you have to respect him. You have to send help, you have to have eyes on him,” Worthy analyzed on Doncic‘s virtues. “That’s when he does his damage: finding open shots, the lobs to both (Jaxson) Hayes and (Christian) Koloko tonight. I think he gets more out of that than scoring himself, being able to find those lobs.”

Worthy heaps praise on Luka Doncic

James Worthy then talked about how Doncic’s arrival completely changed the Lakers’ outlook for the next few years. “We were thinking about what our future was gonna be like without LeBron if AD (Anthony Davis) was our guy going forward. Obviously (Austin) Reaves was playing well, we had some good potential, but we weren’t quite sure,” the 1988 Finals MVP acknowledged.

“Until you get a franchise player like Luka at 26, who was just in the NBA Finals, and the Western Conference Finals before that. A dynamic score passer, and has the size, and only 26… He hasn’t even peaked yet,” Worthy said. “Jerry West said you don’t peak until you got 28, 29, 30… I guess it’s kind of crazy to say that the best is yet to come.”

Lakers will be a tough team, Worthy says

James Worthy then talked about expectations in the near future. “All the experts on TV are saying, ‘Oh, my gosh. The Lakers are emerging as a tough team.’ They’re saying that Austin Reaves is the third best team (player) in the league,” he began, showing agreement with those opinions.

“I think that Redick and the coaching staff have done an incredible job in the messaging of how important each possession is. The Lakers are now starting to look the way coach Redick is having them think,” James acknowledged. “The coaching staff is really connecting with the players and it’s showing up on the floor.”

Worthy then highlighted some of the team’s strengths. “They want to play good defense, you can tell. They’re really clamping down collectively on everybody. Steals, blocks, just harassing people,” he said. “The defense is really working for them, but their offense… When you have guys like Austin Reaves and Luka on the floor, and we haven’t got LeBron yet,” the NBA legend concluded, implying that all of that will be enhanced even more with Bron’s return.

“AD has proven that he’s not the type of player who, when he gets the ball, will take control and say, ‘Give me the damn ball,’” Worthy remarked during his post-game analysis on Free Dawkins. “He hasn’t proven to be that guy, so he’ll fade.”

Worthy’s comments highlighted a troubling trend in Davis’ play. The 31-year-old has been the Lakers’ most dominant force this season, typically leading both offensively and defensively. However, against the Thunder, he was notably quiet, finishing with just 15 points.

“If you say you’re running the offense through him… he’s key,” Worthy continued. “They need to look back at the first few weeks of the season and evaluate how they were playing and what they were doing. They’ve got to get AD involved, because I saw again in the fourth quarter, it was LeBron trying to force the issue.”

Worthy also took aim at the recent struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers, suggesting that their current play was a step back from their early-season form. “They look like the old Lakers from last year, two years ago—not a winning formula,” he said.

Worthy knows what he’s talking about

While opinions may vary on his harsh criticism of Anthony Davis, there’s no questioning James Worthy’s authority on the matter. As one of the greatest players in Lakers history, Worthy’s insights carry weight. He spent his entire 12-season career with the franchise, from 1982 to 1994, and was a central figure in the iconic ‘Showtime Lakers’ era alongside Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and coach Pat Riley.

Worthy was instrumental in the Lakers’ success during that time, winning three NBA championships (1985, 1987, and 1988), being selected to seven NBA All-Star teams, and earning Finals MVP honors in 1988.

The Lakers have lost their consistency

The Los Angeles Lakers have undeniably lost some of the momentum they built earlier this season. After a strong start, including an impressive 10-4 record, the team’s performance has tapered off in recent weeks. This decline has raised concerns among fans and analysts alike, as the Lakers have been unable to maintain the level of play that initially had them looking like contenders.

Despite LeBron James putting up a solid 18 points, the Lakers couldn’t overcome the dominance of Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Davis, in particular, struggled, leaving fans and analysts questioning his impact. “It seemed like he wasn’t there when we needed him,” Worthy said during The Lake Show postgame program.

Worthy didn’t hold back in his analysis of the game. “The Lakers went back to two years ago. The offense was stagnant. They just laid down. It was weird,” he said, reflecting on the lackluster team effort. He also singled out Davis, who played the same minutes as James but failed to deliver.

The fans in social media also highlighted the team’s struggles beyond Davis. The numbers from players like D’Angelo Russell and Dalton Knecht weren’t enough. The team just couldn’t get into rhythm, and the way the Lakers were winning didn’t show up on Saturday’s night.

Nikola Jokic shines once again

On the other side of the court, Nikola Jokic put on a show. Returning from an injury that sidelined him for several games, the two-time MVP reminded everyone why he’s among the league’s best. Jokic tallied 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, dominating the Lakers on both ends of the floor.

Worthy praised Jokic’s performance, acknowledging the challenge of containing the Serbian star: “He is physical, he is MVP, he is a champion, and he is consistent with the numbers, they are better than ever this year. So, if you don’t meet force with force, if he can tell you are not ready to play, he is going to eat you alive.”

Worthy continued: “He just did that tonight. He was exceptional. If you play hard, he still is going to get it, but when you are not ready to meet him, where he wants to play he will destroy and Pope was gone, Murray went out for a little, and still have another guys in the system.”

Anthony Davis’ disappointing stats

Davis’ stat line reflected his struggles. He finished with 14 points on a dismal 6-of-19 shooting, missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. While he did contribute 10 rebounds and 3 assists, it wasn’t enough to offset his inefficiency on offense.

Fans and analysts alike were disappointed, as Davis has typically been a standout performer this season. The lack of cohesion on the floor showed that this squad didn’t show unity on Saturday’s night. When key players aren’t stepping up, it’s hard to compete against the other teams in the NBA.

He’s not to blame for that, as he’s still put up monster numbers despite joining the team on the back end of his career. But still, he’s far from Lakers royalty if judged by most metrics.

That’s why the debate about him getting his jersey retired or even a statue in Los Angeles has been so controversial. Even so, Lakers legend James Worthy believes the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers should both build him a statue.

James Worthy Says Lakers Should Build A Statue Of LeBron James

“But I think his overall greatness, when you have a player like LeBron, who breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s [all-time scoring] record in Los Angeles, does it as a Laker, then wins a championship as a Laker, you can’t argue that he could get a statue in Los Angeles,“ Worthy said.

“And he could get one in Cleveland as well. So, I don’t know about Miami, but bringing one to Cleveland and Los Angeles, it’s doable, in my opinion,” he concluded.

Being great overall doesn’t mean being great for one team, and the Lakers used to have very high standards for the players they honored, so this will continue to be a controversial subject for years to come.

Nonetheless, Russell and the Celtics still dominated with the hand they were given. And other legends of the game, such as Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain, could only do so much against their prowess.

But for years, some players have stated that the Celtics often went way too far to win at all costs. Now, Lakers legend James Worthy claims that they purposely messed with the Warriors’ hoop before warm-ups because they wanted to cheat.

NBA News: James Worthy Calls TD Garden A Barn, Says Celtics Are Cheaters

“They have been doing it for years,” Worthy said. “Pat Riley always had the goals measured. I don’t know how many games we played with 12-foot rims, probably that time I went 1-for-12. They cheat, no heat, no heat in the winter, no air conditioning in June. It’s hot, except for their locker room. Dead spots on the floor, it was just the worst.”

“I don’t even call it an arena, it was like a barn, and they’re still up to those old tricks,“ Worthy added. “They always had a delay on the clock when they had like a second to shoot it was like, ‘Is that three seconds? That clock got stuck a lot. It was just horrible playing in Boston, and they’re still up to those old tricks.”

There are countless stories about the TD Garden and Celtics fans, and even Bill Russell had to live firsthand what it was like not to be wanted by them. But then again, Worthy bleeds purple and gold, so maybe his words have to be taken with a grain of salt.