NBA Legends Profile: James Worthy

Posted Sep 13, 2021
Never was a nickname better suited to a player than James Worthy’s moniker of "Big Game James." By the time he was a ninth grader at Grier Junior High in Gastonia, N.C., Worthy’s basketball exploits were making front-page news. Coached at Ashbrook High by a Dean Smith disciple named Larry Rhodes, Worthy seemed destined to wear Tar Heel blue. (NBA.com)

Related: Basketball, Tar Heels in the NBA

Chansky’s Notebook: The Dean Dome’s Greatest Games
Duke’s Mark Alarie made the first basket at the Dean Dome and Warren Martin dunked North Carolina’s historic first bucket. In the year before college...
Thu Jan 8, 2026

Can't Run, Can't Hide: UNC’s backcourt is a problem
One of the biggest questions around UNC entering the college basketball season was how well this backcourt would gel. So far, the results have been...
Thu Jan 8, 2026

UNC Basketball Entering Tricky 3-Game Stretch
Wake Forest, Stanford, and California are all capable of beating the Tar Heels. Wake has guards that can cause issues for UNC defensively, Stanford has...
Thu Jan 8, 2026

Indiana Pacers plan to bring back center Tony Bradley on a 10-day contract
Tony Bradley was waived before his contract was fully guaranteed, but the Pacers plan to bring back the depth center on a 10-day contract starting...
Thu Jan 8, 2026