James Worthy entered the NBA with high expectations as the #1 overall pick in the 1982 draft. Coming off a 1982 National Championship with the UNC Tar Heels in which he was the named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four the spotlight was on him to produce for the Los Angeles Lakers. And the 6'9" forward certainly lived up to the hype quickly earning the nickname "Big Game James" for his ability to score big buckets. He put up very consistent numbers for the Lakers for well over a decade helping Magic and company make "Showtime" the most exciting brand of basketball in its time. A 7-time All-Star a 3-time NBA Champion and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP Worthy retired in 1994 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. Presented here are Worthy's game-worn shoes from the 1985-86 season when he averaged a career-high 22 points and shot 57.9% from the field while grabbing 5.7 rebounds and dishing out 2.9 assists. The Lakers were stopped by the Rockets in the Western Conference Finals that year a rare blockage from facing their East Coast rival Celtics for the title. These white and purple leather New Balance "Worthy 800" signature model high-tops show solid game use with some scuffing and blue paint transfers. There is no size tag inside but they measure the appropriate size as he typically wore size 15. The tongues are stamped with "Worthy 800". His nice signature in 8/10 thick black marker appears on both shoes near the heel. White laces look a bit too new to be the originals. Other than that they come as-issued in excellent condition.

Includes Letter of Provenance from collector Bruce Tennen. Pre-certified by PSA/DNA.

A Michigan native Bruce Tennen began his sports business career in the late 1970's covering Arizona teams as an AP journalist. He spent the early 80's working in the front office for the San Diego Clippers before eventually settling down near his hometown of Detroit and building a successful career in financial services. Bruce has facilitated credit and acquisition funding for numerous Detroit Pistons players and executives. These unique experiences and connections have helped him build an impressive memorabilia collection. Part 1 of the Bruce Tennen Collection was featured in SCP's 2014 Fall Premier Auction.