Orlando Woolridge

When it all becomes too much and even group therapy cannot completely reduce the pressures within, Orlando Woolridge occasionally drives to Santa Monica and watches people who have bigger problems, such as finding places to sleep. One look at the homeless is all Woolridge needs. It provides a dose of reality. "I look at those people, without homes, without jobs, and my perspective changes," Woolridge said. "I get back to a sense of being humble. Maybe my job hasn't gone the way I wanted it to this year.

Orlando Woolridge, the rugged forward and former Laker who carved out a reputation over 13 NBA seasons as a scoring specialist and became one of the original alley-oop artists, has died. He was 52. Woolridge, who was with the Lakers from 1988 to 1990, died Thursday at his parents' home in Mansfield, La. He had been receiving hospice care for a chronic heart condition, according to the local coroner's office. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round in 1981, Woolridge spent five seasons with the team.

No, Magic Johnson isn't going to Edmonton as part of the Gretzky deal. But the Forum's other tenants made a deal Tuesday, too. The Lakers have called a press conference for this morning to announce they have signed free agent Orlando Woolridge, a 6-foot 9-inch forward, to a contract for the 1988-89 season, according to a team source.

Orlando Woolridge, who played two of his 13 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, died Friday, the Shreveport Times reported. He was 52. According to the report, Woolridge had been under hospice care for a chronic heart condition at his parents' home in Mansfield, La.  In his college career, Woolridge was best known for his role in helping Notre Dame reach the Final Four in 1978 as a freshman. As a senior, his last-second jumper snapped the 28-game winning streak top-ranked Virginia then held.

Orlando Woolridge wears a big "O" on his uniform. His name isn't the only thing it brings to mind. "O" stands for offense, the strong point of his previous seven National Basketball Assn. seasons. "O" stands for zero, the approximate size of his contribution to the Los Angeles Lakers at times this season. "O" (as in "oh, my!") stands for a simple review of his recent improvement. And "O" the player stands tall in the Lakers' plans for a third straight NBA title. After two consecutive seasons in which his career plummeted dramatically, Woolridge was a significant contributor to the Lakers' sweep of Phoenix in the Western Conference finals.

First Coach Riley, then Orlando Woolridge and now Michael Cooper. How much more can a Laker fan stand? LARRY SMITH San Diego

The Sparks, who play Tuesday night in Orlando, Fla., have earned a trip to Disney World with their performance in Cleveland on Saturday. The team will fly to Florida today. "I told 'em before the game we could go to Disney World, providing they not only won but played well," Coach Orlando Woolridge said.

Laker forward Orlando Woolridge, bothered throughout training camp with pain and swelling in his right knee, will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery today at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood. Woolridge left the Lakers, who will play the Phoenix Suns in Lincoln, Neb., tonight, and returned to Los Angeles on Sunday. Woolridge was examined Monday by team physician Stephen Lombardo, who decided that surgery was necessary to determine the cause of Woolridge's condition.

The Lakers waived rookie free-agent guard Milt Newton Tuesday and put forward Orlando Woolridge on the injured list, reducing their roster to 12 players, the National Basketball Assn. limit. Woolridge has had knee surgery. Barring the addition of another big man, one of Coach Pat Riley's wishes, the Lakers will begin the season with four rookies--Vlade Divac, Mel McCants, Mike Higgins and Steve Bucknall.

Forward Orlando Woolridge will be out of action a minimum of three weeks after bone chips were removed from his right knee during arthroscopic surgery Tuesday at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, the Lakers announced. Woolridge, James Worthy's backup at small forward, will likely miss at least the first week of the National Basketball Assn. season, which starts Nov. 3. However, the Lakers said they do not expect Woolridge to miss a significant portion of the season.

Advanced Placement physics B is considered by some to be the hardest class at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake High. So what in the name of common sense is Tiana Woolridge , a volleyball and basketball player, doing in the class? "There are budding rocket scientists in there, and I might be one," Woolridge said. Well, if not a rocket scientist, the 6-foot-2 Woolridge might settle for neurologist. She has a 4.1 grade-point average, starts for the nationally ranked girls' volleyball team and is a member of the state championship girls' basketball team.

When 6-foot-8 Renaldo Woolridge steps onto a basketball court, inquiring minds want to know how long it takes the junior to slip on all of his fashion accessories. From three pairs of socks with alternating colors to black wrist bands, from a black headband to black leg pads, Woolridge appears as if he's preparing to be on the cover of a fashion magazine. "I was going to wear an arm sleeve, but they made a rule you can't wear it on your elbow," he said.

On the day Zachary Jarrod Woolridge was born in 1986, the Chicago Bulls' general manager at the time, Jerry Krause, sent a contract to the hospital declaring that if he grew to a certain height and could shoot a basketball, the Bulls would sign him. Now that Woolridge is a 6-foot-6 senior starter for North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake and headed to Princeton, he wouldn't mind finding that long-lost contract, if only to have a laugh with his friends. Woolridge is much more than a basketball player.

Orlando Woolridge, a veteran of 13 NBA seasons and a former Spark head coach, was arrested Monday at a Chatsworth motel for being under the influence of drugs. Woolridge, 41, was booked at the Van Nuys jail on a misdemeanor count and released on his own recognizance, Sgt. John Pasquariello said. Woolridge played for six NBA teams, including the Lakers from 1988-90.

Orlando Woolridge, coach of the WNBA's Sparks, got his reward Thursday for turning a losing franchise into a winner: He was fired. Hours after saying that Woolridge had not been fired, Buss sent out a news release that said: "Citing an ongoing reorganization of the club and philosophical differences, the Los Angeles Sparks and head coach Orlando Woolridge parted ways amicably [Thursday] after a successful season."

The Sparks moved along to round two in the WNBA playoffs, but it took a towering halftime rage by their towering coach, 6-foot-9 Orlando Woolridge, to get them there. Outplayed and outhustled Tuesday in the first half and down 11 points at the break against a team missing perhaps the league's best player, the Sparks stitched together a withering second-half onslaught that defeated Sacramento, 71-58, before 8,569 at the Great Western Forum.

Chicago Bull forward Orlando Woolridge failed to report for Tuesday night's National Basketball Assn. game against the Boston Celtics and was immediately fined, a club official said. Jerry Krause, Bulls' vice president for basketball operations, said that Woolridge, who has a reported salary of $300,000, would be fined about $3,660. "I learned shortly before game time, Orlando was in New York with his agent (Larry Fleisher)," Krause said. "I called Fleisher and he told me Woolridge was with him."

Orlando Woolridge, a veteran of 13 NBA seasons and a former Spark head coach, was arrested Monday at a Chatsworth motel for being under the influence of drugs. Woolridge, 41, was booked at the Van Nuys jail on a misdemeanor count and released on his own recognizance, Sgt. John Pasquariello said. Woolridge played for six NBA teams, including the Lakers from 1988-90.

You nearly needed a fire extinguisher to approach Sparks Coach Orlando Woolridge late Saturday afternoon, after the Phoenix Mercury overhauled the fast-starting Sparks to win the WNBA game, 84-76, before 13,483 at America West Arena. Woolridge was furious at his players and the officiating crew, and after the mandatory 10-minute postgame cooling-off period he really blew his top.