INGLEWOOD, California -- He was as he had been for his previous 12 years as a Laker, eloquent and graceful, soft-spoken about his accomplishments, an athlete relating the frustration of a once-great body wearing out and making it all seem so reasonable.


James Worthy, 33, said Thursday his knees had given out more than his will had. The end, he insisted, came not after serious contemplation following the sudden death of his mother, or after struggling with a reduced role on a team whose other players talked of having watched him in the NBA Finals as junior high students, but after being struck with the achy joints of April and May in October. Two-a-day practices had hurt too much, he said, and he could imagine how he would be feeling by Game 63.


So he retired, making it official at a Forum news conference, and in the process bringing the curtain down on an era. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper, among others, were there to say goodbye to a friend -- and the last link to their "Showtime" offense.


"I'm happy that we can see James go out and we can all smile," said Abdul-Jabbar, the former captain. "We'll shed some tears later, but we can smile because he's walking out happy, the way he wants to leave."


He will not be entirely gone, either. Worthy said he might go into broadcasting and will probably stay close to the game. In any capacity, he will be part of the Forum, since Owner Jerry Buss has decided to retire Worthy's No. 42 and hang it alongside those of the Laker immortals: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson.


Retirement could have meant that Worthy was walking away from a contract that would pay $7.2 million this season and $5.15 million in 1995-96. But Buss said Worthy will be paid in full.


"I'm not looking back," Worthy said Thursday. "I'm really just feeling very light, very happy that I was able to come to a decision."


Worthy scored 16,320 points and stands 52nd on the all-time NBA list. He spent more years as a Laker than anyone other than Abdul-Jabbar and West.


In the end, to the surprise of no one, Worthy was gracious. "To be a Laker," he said, "was everything to me."


In Thursday's NBA games:


Knicks 101, Magic 99. At New York, Patrick Ewing's 17-foot fadeaway jumper with two seconds left boosted the New York Knicks to a win despite a 41-point performance by the Orlando Magic's Shaquille O'Neal.


Cavaliers 108, Bucks 88. A 27-9 third-quarter run boosted Cleveland over Milwaukee. Bucks rookie Glenn Robinson scored nine points on 3-of-13 shooting. He finished with four rebounds, two turnovers and one block.


Pistons 112, Pacers 110. At Detroit, Joe Dumars scored four points in the final minute to lead the Pistons.