The NBA draft is one of the most sought-after events for basketball fans. It provides a great view into what the future holds for the league. The 1982 NBA draft was memorable for various reasons. Today it is most known for James Worthy and the interesting draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. However, it is a sob story for those who represent the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the Lakers created history after bringing in Worthy to their franchise, the 1982 draft accounts for one of the most unfortunate moments in the Cavaliers’ history.

The 1982 NBA draft

Rarely do we come across such events that not only make their mark in the history books, but also change the game for years to come. One event that is an indelible part of history is the 1982 NBA draft. The Cavs were coming out of their worst season with only 15 wins under their belt. The Lakers were fresh out of a championship run and the events that unfolded were baffling, to say the least. Now, the draft lottery and pick is a process of its own, but it can be summed up in a few basic points that capture its essence.

The draft order is decided by the teams’ performances based on the recently concluded season. This puts the team with the worst performance last season, at a higher chance of getting the first draft pick. The draft lottery comprises 14 teams that couldn’t make the playoffs. These 14 teams are then lined up in order based on the draft lottery. After the changes made to the lottery in 2019, the system has leveled the odds and now the team with the worst season is no longer at a direct advantage for the top pick.

However, back in 1982, the rules did favor the team that had had a terrible, or relatively worse season. So for the Cavs, the 1982 draft was an easy decision with James Worthy being the player to go for. Despite being at an advantage, the Cleveland franchise somehow bottled the draft pick and Worthy ended up with the Lakers.

How did the Lakers get James Worthy?

The Lakers were already a super-team around that time. They had just defeated the Philadelphia 76ers weeks before the draft. With players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the roster, they had a solid foundation. The Cavs, on the other hand, were struggling with one of their worst seasons ever, just 2 years after Ted Stepien had bought the team. The #1 draft pick meant the most to the Cavs than any other team that year. However, nothing went according to their plans and Cavs fans place the blame directly on Stepien.

The new owner was big on trading the round picks in order to improve his roster strength. With the Cavs’ 1982 draft pick by their side, the Lakers won the coin toss against the San Diego Clippers and could get the #1 pick. This resulted in Worthy joining the super-team with Magic and Kareem. Over the years, the NBA world realized that Worthy was a perfect fit for the Lakers roster and his joining forces with the other two proved to be glorious for the Lakers.

James Worthy with the Lakers

In the first round, the first-overall pick Worthy became one of the greatest players to represent the LA franchise. During his career spanning 12 years, Worthy only played for the Lakers. In that time, he won three NBA championships in 1985, 1987, and 1988, and made seven All-Star appearances. Furthermore, he was also declared the NBA Finals MVP in 1988. Throughout his 12-year-long career, Worthy was putting up great numbers for the franchise. His most successful year with the Lakers was 1988.

In that year’s Finals against the Detroit Pistons, Worthy averaged 22.0 points with 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists. On the night of the big final, the Laker dropped a triple-double performance on the Pistons. Worthy scored 36 points with 16 rebounds and 10 assists. This performance won him his first and only career Finals MVP. With Worthy putting up such numbers for his team throughout his career, he ended up becoming one of the greatest Lakers players ever. However, one wonders, what happened to the Cavs, following that fumble?

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The Cavaliers after losing James Worthy

The struggling Cavaliers had the chance to turn things around for the better in 1982. However, with a heavily miscalculated decision on the best prospect of that year, their misery continued for a few more years to come. The Cavs owner had a vision to rebuild the reeling team, but all their major decisions continued to fall short. Even after their disastrous season in 1982, they weren’t able to win 30 games or more for the next few seasons.

Stepien eventually ended up selling the team in 1983 and soon, their fate began changing for the better. Although they did not get an athlete of Worthy’s caliber, eventually, things started to look up for the Cleveland franchise.

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