Greatest Memories of Lakers vs Rockets

For those who haven't heard the James Worthy story:

here it is
http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1990_743979

Spoiler

Apparently James Worthy likes being double teamed :grin:

Lakers prove Worthy to Rockets/LA forward arrested for soliciting
ALAN TRUEX, JENNIFER LIEBRUM Staff
FRI 11/16/1990 HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Section Sports, Page 1, 2 STAR Edition

James Worthy was not what you would call fashionably late.

The second quarter of Thursday night's basketball game at The Summit had just begun when the Los Angeles Lakers' All-Star forward sheepishly trotted out to the floor and heard whistles, shrieks and sarcastic applause.

Worthy, family man and a minister's son who was described by his coach, Mike Dunleavy, as "a model citizen," had been detained at the Houston Police Station. He was arrested at 3 p.m. after allegedly soliciting sex from two undercover police officers.

According to police, Worthy had contacted an escort service, requesting that two women come to his hotel room. Police said phone calls to the escort service were being monitored by the vice squad.

Two female undercover officers appeared at Worthy's room at the Stouffer Hotel at Greenway Plaza, and the player allegedly detailed his desires and discussed cost.

Once the deal was sealed, the officers arrested Worthy and whisked him to headquarters, where he experienced what may have been one of the swiftest bookings in history.

Worthy was released when he posted bond shortly after 7 p.m. The bonding office was shut down to the public for several minutes while Worthy posted his $1,000 bond, and he was shielded from the public and press at every turn.

The 6-foot-9 Worthy did not arrive at The Summit until 7:55 - some 20 minutes after the start of the game with the Rockets. When he joined his teammates at courtside, Worthy took a place on the bench and slapped hands with those around him.

Despite his late arrival, Worthy finished the game with 24 points, two under his season average, as the Lakers won in overtime 108-103.

Before the game, Dunleavy said he did not know if Worthy would be playing, and Sam Perkins ended up starting in Worthy's place.

Police spokesman Dan Turner said the department went out of its way to make the player's visit as brief and comfortable as possible. Worthy was sequestered from other prisoners and "walked through the charges," Turner said.

"The gentleman is a professional," Turner said. "He did not commit a violent crime that would cause him to be in jail for any extended time. You might say we are walking his charges through."

Those charges amount to two counts of soliciting prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor that carries a maximum $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

"We are going out of our way to release him just as soon as we possibly can," Turner said.

Turner said the same treatment would be given any celebrity arrested in Houston.

Dunleavy had little to say about Worthy's arrest, but he sounded eager to be a character witness. "Whatever the case is," the coach said, "James has been a class act, and his teammates and I will stand behind him. It's hard to make a judgment about the situation because I haven't talked with James."

Indeed, the 29-year-old Worthy, who was born in Gastonia, N.C., had an unblemished public image prior to Thursday's incident. He is a soft-spoken man who has avoided controversy throughout his collegiate career at North Carolina and his eight years in the NBA.

The first pick overall in the 1982 draft, Worthy is a seven-time All-Star and was MVP of the 1988 NBA Finals. He is married, and his wife Angela gave birth last March to their daughter, Sable Alexandria.

"He's one of the finest human beings I've ever met, and I know I speak for all of Lakers management," the team's public-relations director, John Black, said during a brief news conference at halftime.

Black said Worthy "has asked me to relay to you that he will answer questions only about basketball."