Sean

Channel 9's pregame show, "LTV," features host Alan Massengale and analyst James Worthy, who are in their eighth season together. The show is averaging a 2.1 rating with a 4 share, up 31% from a 1.6 and 3 share.

Worthy, who majored in radio-television at North Carolina, has proved to be a natural for television. He has the voice, and he knows the game. Some thought he might get into coaching after retiring from the Lakers in 1994.

"This is ideal for me," Worthy said the other night. "Coaching would have been too time consuming."

Besides the TV work, Worthy is senior vice president of RP & Associates, a creative marketing and advertising company in Hermosa Beach — and he's now a full-time dad. Divorced since 1996, he said he has custody of daughters Sable, 16, and Sierra, 14.

There was a time Worthy's daughters didn't know a lot about their father. He said when he took Sierra to a Britney Spears concert at Staples Center four years ago, Sierra pointed up at Worthy's retired No. 42 jersey and said, "Hey, Dad, someone has the same name as us."

"I told her, 'No, that's me, I used to play for the Lakers,' " Worthy said.

Pat McClenahan, senior vice president and station manager for Channel 2 and Channel 9, said of Worthy: "There's a reason he's called Big Game James. When the spotlight is on him, he performs."

McClenahan also called Worthy "a great ambassador" for the Lakers and Channel 9.

"All you have to do is walk around Staples Center and see how he treats everyone and how he treats our clients to see what I mean," McClenahan said.

Worthy came to Channel 9 in 1999 after a stint at FSN on its national news show. "LTV" producer Lou Cook, who worked with Worthy at FSN, said he has blossomed as an analyst at Channel 9.

"The key was letting James be James," Cook said. "He knows the game as well as anyone."

more in link...
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basket...nes-sports-nba

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"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." – mom, circa 1974

"Either you are still a Laker fan, or you never were." - Guru

Laker Superstar 34

OK, seriously You know, that's both sad and funny.

Sad that they didn't know their own father that much and funny that Sierra had said that.

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The Andrew "Socks" Bynum Fan Club

Ghiman

I find it more sad than funny, but just by a little bit. I guess thats the price you pay when you play in the NBA.

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Bartholomew Hunt

I don't always agree with his opinions as a color commentator. But I always have listen and consider what Worthy has to say because of the kind of player he was. And the story about his daughter pointing at his jersey, that was pretty funny.

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Purple and Gold forever..

DANNY

what a nice article. James Worthy definitely deserves some praise for making LTV a Lakers must watch half time show. Also Massengale deserves alot of credit, he seems to work really well with Worthy.

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