Mystery Player #8
Monday, July 13, 2026 · already played
The answer
Spoiler for the puzzle of Monday, July 13, 2026. Today's puzzle is not revealed anywhere on this page.
James Worthy
F · 1982–1994
James Worthy's career
James Worthy played 12 seasons between 1982 and 1994, all of it with the Lakers. Over 926 regular-season games he averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3 assists, finishing with 16,320 career points. He was 1× Finals MVP, 7× All-Star, 2× All-NBA, 3× champion and member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
He entered the league in the 1982 draft, taken first overall, with everything that expectation carries. That makes him a product of the 1980s, and his career totals should be read against the pace and rules of that period.
Across a long career of 12 seasons he was a consistent starter at 17.6 points per game.
- Games
- 926
- PPG
- 17.6
- RPG
- 5.1
- APG
- 3
- Points
- 16,320
- Rebounds
- 4,708
- Assists
- 2,791
- 3PM
- 117
Teams
- Lakers · 1983–1994
Honours
1× Finals MVP · 7× All-Star · 2× All-NBA · 3× NBA champion · NBA 75th Anniversary Team
How the clues read
Every guess that day was scored against James Worthy across nine categories. These were the values behind the grid.
- Position:
- F
- Debut season:
- 1982
- Status:
- Retired
- Nationality:
- USA
- Teams:
- Lakers
- Points per game:
- 17.6
- Championships:
- 3
- All-Star selections:
- 7
Why this was a fair answer
Answers are never obscure by design: the pool is every NBA All-Star who debuted in the 1969-70 season or later, plus current players carrying a real scoring role. James Worthy qualifies on the first route, with 7 All-Star selections — a perennial selection rather than a one-off. He was later named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
A one-franchise career made the shared-team clue brutal: it stayed grey for almost every guess, and went green only for players from that same roster. The debut arrow was the fastest way in: anyone opening with a modern player would have been sent back decades immediately. The 3 championship rings were another strong signal — most of the pool has none.
Play it yourself
This puzzle is still replayable — open Mystery Player #8 in the archive to play the round exactly as it was, or start today's puzzle. Archive rounds never affect your daily streak.