Lucas, obviously, has a reputation. Bad dude. Tough guy. Enforcer. Hitman. He is Sonny Liston with a hangnail.
Tag Archives: Los Angeles Lakers
Maurice Lucas: Schenley Spartan Makes Great, 1986
Lucas generally answers “persistence” when asked to explain himself from his roots.
Sleepy Floyd: A Fourth Quarter for the Ages, 1987
During one of the Lakers’ three increasingly desperate timeouts in the fourth quarter, Karl simply told his players, “Get the ball to Sleepy.”
Johnny Neumann: The Maine Man, 1982
It’s no wonder that people are willing to give Neumann a chance. He’s so damn likable. He can laugh at himself, even when he is being serious.
Cazzie Russell: Living On Wheat Germ, Vitamin C, and Tiger Milk, 1976
Mostly, Cazzie is called “The Machine,” and for good reason. During a workout last fall while his teammates were doing stretching exercises, he picked up a ball on the baseline and, from 20 feet, arched it through the net.
James Worthy: Steady Star in a Glitzy Town, 1991
Over the past five seasons, Worthy has firmly—if unspectacularly—established himself as one of the NBA’s top forwards.
Ralph Sampson: Why He Can’t Be a Winner in Houston, 1986
The fact is that while Sampson may stand 7-4, his game has never been that of a traditional low-post center.
Rod Hundley: Clown, 1971
Life had been a ball, never to be taken seriously, and now it was in deadly earnest. “I’m the only Laker who never got a raise. I made $10,000 every year I’ve been with the team.”
Jamaal Wilkes: The Silent Assassin, 1980
Wilkes is basketball’s version of Perry Como, the velvet singer whose trademark was the epitome of ultra-relaxed, super-casual, laidback stage presence. Wilkes comes across the same way, on and off the court.
The Laker Roadshow . . . Starring Wilt Chamberlain, 1972
They affectionately call him “Big Fella.” Wilt Chamberlain is a proud man in the twilight of his career at 36, going on 40. But sometimes his moods are almost childlike.
From Way Downtown 