Classic card of the week

James Worthy, 1992 Topps All-Star

Is that the look of an All-Star, or is that the look of an All-Star? I doubt we even need the “All-Star” designation on this card to deduce that the man in question is, indeed, a star among others in his chosen profession of basketballing. Besides, the All-Star uniform is a dead giveaway. As are the oversized goggles, shin-high and scrunched-up tube socks, short shorts, and the knee braces placed ever so slightly below the knees, so as to protect the knees from something that might land just below them.

Of course, we kid with James Worthy because we love him. In fact, this is his record third appearance on Classic Card of the Week. Amazingly, none of the aforementioned appearances have been solo, including this one, which is unnecessarily shared with the uber-intense Kevin Willis -– no stranger to Classic card himself -– who is only not uber-intense when he’s pretending to play defense during a meaningless All-Star Game. But alas, such is the plight of one James Worthy, who has always toiled in the formidable shadows of other peoples’ classic-ness. Don’t believe me?



For the Los Angeles Lakers, he has toiled in the formidable shadows of such players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson,

Toiling in formidable shadows is a fate that I share with James Worthy. I sit here right now penning awesome lines about random James Worthy cards, yet I can barely see as a result of the dark shadow cast by James Worthy, who is literally standing behind me right now and making sure that I don’t make fun of his goggles again. Nevertheless, let us continue:

but James is more than

Wait! Lemme guess…”deserving?”

worthy

Oh. Makes sense.

of his seven consecutive NBA All-Star Game selections.

I must inquire: How does one escape the all-encompassing and formidable shadows to earn seven straight All-Star Game selections? Are the shadows transparent? Or is James Worthy’s toiling just too good to go unnoticed, regardless of its inferiority when placed against the toiling of his most immediate peers?

Whatever the case may be, I commend James Worthy for both his toiling and its recognition by others. And may I also add: nice goggles, dork.

Ow!

Did you know?
"Formidable are
The shadows you toil in
An All-Star shines through" is a haiku that I wrote in 90 seconds.