[1][2] Named a second-team All-American by The Sporting News in 1981,[3] Woolridge made a last-second fall-away jumper to beat the eventual NBA Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson and No.

Prior to the Jordan era, Woolridge was one of the Chicago Bulls' marquee players along with Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore, Reggie Theus and David Greenwood.

At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, and weighing 215 lb (98 kg), Woolridge was one of the most gifted dunkers in professional basketball.

He moved on to sign with the New Jersey Nets as a veteran free-agent on October 2, 1986[5] for the 1986–87 season, in which he averaged 20.7 points per game.

[10] On August 10, 1988,[5] he signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, who were looking for a scorer off the bench.

[7] Woolridge averaged 11 points per game in two seasons and provided the Lakers consistent bench scoring around the basket.

[12] Woolridge was traded for two second-round draft picks to the Denver Nuggets, which started playing an unusual hurry-up offense under head coach Paul Westhead in 1990–91.

Woolridge was a cousin to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Willis Reed.

[14] After a long battle with heart disease, Woolridge died on May 31, 2012, at his parents' home in Mansfield, Louisiana.