Back In The Day NBA

1980s Lakers Legend Suggests Fast-Food And Bus Travel As Punishment For 41-Point Loss

Shandel Richardson

Jan 7, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Actor Jack Black and former Laker and now TV personality James Worthy before the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jan 7, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Actor Jack Black and former Laker and now TV personality James Worthy before the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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NBA Hall of Famer James Worthy was overly critical of his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, after the poor performance Wednesday against the Miami Heat.

The Lakers lost by 41 points, their second straight blowout defeat. Worthy addressed the state of the team on the Lakers postgame broadcast.

"They need to get on the bus tonight and get some White Castle burgers and drive to Atlanta," Worthy said. "And they need to think about who they are, and what they need to do because what they're doing right now ain't even close to Laker basketball. Not even close."

It wasn't just Worthy.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson was so disappointed he expressed his feeling via social media.

Here's what Johnson posted on X after the game, "I’m embarrassed for the Lakers. They were down 32 points to the Miami Heat 105-72 at the end of the third quarter."

Even Lakers great LeBron James was upset with the performance.

"It sucks for sure to get your a** whooped like that twice, in a row, for sure," James said.

The Lakers are just four years removed from James leading them to a title in the Orlando bubble season. They have since struggled to regain that form. They were swept in the Western Conference finals by the Denver Nuggets in 2023. At 12-10 this season, they appear headed toward another appearance in the Play-In Tournament.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 5, 2024

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com