Today is Day 42 of the Omer. Malchut sheb’yesod. The championship foundation.

In 1982, the Los Angeles Lakers brought home the NBA title behind two all-time greats, 3x League MVP Magic Johnson and 6x League MVP, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Their championship roster included two more future Hall of Famers (Bob McAdoo & Jamaal Wilkes), as well as a 2x All-Star (Norm Nixon), and a future Defensive Player of Year (Michael Cooper).

Well, what do you get for the team that has everything? How about the #1 pick in the NBA draft? Due to a 1980 trade with the legendarily inept Ted Stepien, the Lakers held Cleveland’s pick in 1982, which ended up #1. They used it to select James Worthy from the University of North Carolina. Worthy had just been named an All-American and Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after leading UNC to the NCAA Championship. 

Day 42,