While the Boston Celtics will forever be the biggest rival of the Los Angeles Lakers, the franchise also developed a deep rivalry with the Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s. Meeting in back-to-back NBA Finals in 1988 and 1989, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy led the Showtime Lakers in tough battles against the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons that featured the likes of Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman.
Rodman is widely considered one of the best defenders in NBA history and his Hall of Fame induction is proof of that. The versatile forward has taken on the challenge of trying to lock down many of the best offensive players the league has ever seen, but one Lakers legend stands out as his toughest challenge and it came as a surprise to many.
Rodman recently appeared on a stream with popular influencer Neon and when asked who the toughest player he ever had to guard was, he quickly named Worthy:
“James Worthy from the Lakers. Always him.”
Worthy isn’t a name that often comes up when discussing the all-time greats, but everyone who played with and against him always mentions that he could have put up much greater individual numbers throughout his career but was willing to sacrifice as a member of the Lakers. And this admission from Rodman, who regularly took on the likes of Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins, says a lot.
Of course, Worthy’s most famous accomplishment came at the expense of Rodman and the Pistons when he became the first player to ever record a triple-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, dropping 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Lakers to their fifth NBA Championship of the decade while being named NBA Finals MVP.
Worthy is recognized to an extent as he is a Hall of Famer that made seven All-Star teams and was a two-time All-NBA selection in his career with the Lakers. But arguably the greatest defender of all-time naming him as his toughest matchup says everything about just how talented he was.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka loves Adou Thiero modeling game after OG Anunoby
The Lakers certainly hope they’ve added a potential excellent perimeter defender when they drafted Arkansas forward Adou Thiero. The rookie mentioned that he is looking to model his game after New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka believes that is an excellent player for him to emulate.
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