Woolridge played 13 years in the NBA for seven different teams. He teamed up with Michael Jordan in Chicago, where the duo averaged a combined 51 points. He also spent one season with the Denver Nuggets, playing in Paul Westhead’s fast-paced, high-scoring style of basketball.

In his lone season with the Nuggets, Woolridge scored a career-high 25.1 points to help Denver lead the League in scoring with 119.9 points. However, the Nuggets also gave up the most points in the NBA that season (130.8). The Nuggets finished the year with a 20-62 record.

That team also featured speedster Michael Adams, who led the Nuggets in scoring with 26.5 points a game and smooth shooter Walter Davis (18.7 points).

Woolridge, a 6-foot-9 power forward, was never known for his defense or rebounding (his career-high was 6.8 in 1990 with the Nuggets). However, he was a prolific dunker and a top scorer.

He also played with Magic Johnson and  Los Angeles Lakers and was a member of Detroit Pistons’ Bad Boys team in his career.

In 1988, Walter Davis was out to prove his critics wrong.

He was 33, his career was tainted with cocaine abuse and he was considering devoting his time at his drug-abuse treatment center. But the Denver Nuggets gave him a second chance. (more…)