The Tall Stuff

For Lakers legend James Worthy, golf is every bit as competitive as hoops

- BEN LYONS

ON MOST WEEKDAYS, by the time you drop the kids off at school or head into the office, basketball Hall of Famer (Big Game) James Worthy has played 18 holes and hit two buckets of long irons. This even though he’s 59 and coming off knee-replacement surgery. What’s your excuse?

“One thing I’ve been able to bring to golf is the work ethic,” says Worthy, who won an NCAA championship at the University of North Carolina and three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. “There are some things you can feel. When I’m playing basketball, I can feel when I’m hot. I know I want the ball. I haven’t quite gotten there with golf yet, but I know when I’m striking it pretty well, and I know when I’m feeling good. I know when I’m following through, and I know when I’m keeping my head down.”

Worthy works hard at his game because, unsurprisingly, he doesn’t like to lose—even if he’s just playing for 50-cent skins. “Playing against guys at the club, that’s the most competitive thing that gets me closest to NBA competition,” he says. “When you have 20,000 fans pulling for you [at a basketball game], giving you the energy that you need, that’s a big incentive. Or what I really enjoyed was being on the road and having someone say, ‘You suck!’ But when you’re on the golf course, all you hear are chirping birds and the wind blowing, and you got three guys standing there watching you, man. You have to retrain your mind.”