Adrian Dantley facts for kids
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Dantley in 2017
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | February 28, 1955 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| High school | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Notre Dame (1973–1976) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1976 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Buffalo Braves | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1976–1992 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2003–2011 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | Buffalo Braves | |||||||||||||
| 1977 | Indiana Pacers | |||||||||||||
| 1977–1979 | Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||
| 1979–1986 | Utah Jazz | |||||||||||||
| 1986–1989 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Dallas Mavericks | |||||||||||||
| 1991 | Milwaukee Bucks | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Aresium Milano | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2011 | Denver Nuggets (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 23,177 (24.3 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 5,455 (5.7 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 2,830 (3.0 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played for 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dantley was a six-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA scoring champion. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. After his playing career, he worked as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets from 2003 to 2011.
Contents
Early Basketball Years
Adrian Dantley went to DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He played basketball there under famous coach Morgan Wootten.
College Basketball Career
Dantley received a basketball scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. He was named an All-American in both 1975 and 1976. He is second on Notre Dame's all-time scoring list with 2,223 points. He also holds the school record for free throws made.
Dantley had an amazing college career with the Fighting Irish. As a freshman, he helped Notre Dame end UCLA's record 88-game winning streak in 1974. That UCLA team was coached by John Wooden and included stars like Bill Walton.
Dantley led Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding in his last two seasons. He was also the top scorer for the 1976 US Olympic team. This team won the gold medal in Montreal. Dantley left Notre Dame after his junior year to join the NBA. He later finished his degree in economics in 1978.
Professional Basketball Journey
Starting with the Buffalo Braves
The Buffalo Braves picked Dantley sixth overall in the 1976 NBA draft. He quickly became a starter at small forward. He averaged 20.3 points per game in his first year. Dantley won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after the 1977 season.
On September 1, 1977, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. This trade made him the first NBA Rookie of the Year to be traded right after his rookie season.
Time with the Indiana Pacers
During the 1977–78 NBA season, Dantley played 23 games for the Pacers. He was third in the league in scoring, averaging 26.6 points. On December 13, 1977, he was traded again, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers
In the 1977–78 season, Dantley played 56 games for the Lakers. He was the team's second-highest scorer, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He averaged 19.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
In the 1978–79 season, injuries limited his playing time. Still, he averaged 17.3 points. He was very good at drawing fouls, leading the league in free throws made. On September 13, 1979, Dantley was traded to the Utah Jazz.
Becoming a Star with the Utah Jazz
In Utah, Dantley became a top scorer. He led the league in scoring twice, in 1981 and 1984. From 1981 to 1984, he averaged over 30 points per game each season. His highest scoring game was 57 points against the Bulls in December 1982.
In 1983, Dantley missed 60 games due to a wrist injury. He was named the NBA Comeback Player of the Year in 1984. During his seven years with the Jazz, he was selected for all six of his NBA All-Star appearances. He also earned two All-NBA second-team honors.
Dantley's relationship with coach Frank Layden became difficult. This led to him being traded on August 21, 1986. He went to the Detroit Pistons.
Joining the Detroit Pistons
In the 1986–87 season, Dantley was still a strong scorer for the Pistons. However, he shared shots with other talented players like Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars. He was knocked out during a playoff game in 1987.
On February 15, 1989, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. This trade happened because of disagreements with his teammates and coaches.
Final Years and Retirement
In the 1989–90 season, Dantley played 45 games for the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 14.7 points before breaking his leg. He was released by the Mavericks in April 1990.
In April 1991, he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and played 13 games. In September 1991, Dantley signed with an Italian team, Breeze Arese. He averaged 26.7 points per game there. He retired from professional basketball in 1992.
Adrian Dantley's Playing Style
Adrian Dantley was listed as a small forward, but he often played close to the basket like a power forward. He finished his NBA career averaging 24.3 points per game. He scored points with mid-range shots, close-range shots, and by getting to the free throw line often.
He was an excellent free throw shooter, making 81.8% of his shots. He led the league in free throws made six times. He even shares a record with Wilt Chamberlain for making 28 free throws in one NBA game. Before each free throw, he had a special routine: four two-handed dribbles and two spins of the ball.
Dantley's ability to score was even more impressive because one of his legs was shorter than the other. He wore special inserts in his shoes to help with this difference.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–77 | Buffalo | 77 | – | 36.6 | .520 | – | .818 | 7.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 20.3 |
| 1977–78 | Indiana | 23 | – | 41.2 | .499 | – | .787 | 9.4 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 26.5 |
| 1977–78 | L.A. Lakers | 56 | – | 35.4 | .520 | – | .801 | 7.2 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 19.4 |
| 1978–79 | L.A. Lakers | 60 | – | 29.6 | .510 | – | .854 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 17.3 |
| 1979–80 | Utah | 68 | – | 39.3 | .576 | .000 | .842 | 7.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 28.0 |
| 1980–81 | Utah | 80 | – | 42.7* | .559 | .286 | .806 | 6.4 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 30.7* |
| 1981–82 | Utah | 81 | 81 | 39.8 | .570 | .333 | .792 | 6.3 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 30.3 |
| 1982–83 | Utah | 22 | 22 | 40.3 | .580 | – | .847 | 6.4 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 30.7 |
| 1983–84 | Utah | 79 | 79 | 37.8 | .558 | .250 | .859 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 30.6* |
| 1984–85 | Utah | 55 | 46 | 35.8 | .531 | – | .804 | 5.9 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 26.6 |
| 1985–86 | Utah | 76 | 75 | 36.1 | .563 | .091 | .791 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 29.8 |
| 1986–87 | Detroit | 81 | 81 | 33.8 | .534 | .167 | .812 | 4.1 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 21.5 |
| 1987–88 | Detroit | 69 | 50 | 31.1 | .514 | .000 | .860 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 20.0 |
| 1988–89 | Detroit | 42 | 42 | 31.9 | .521 | – | .839 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 18.4 |
| 1988–89 | Dallas | 31 | 25 | 34.9 | .462 | .000 | .776 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 20.3 |
| 1989–90 | Dallas | 45 | 45 | 28.9 | .477 | .000 | .787 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 14.7 |
| 1990–91 | Milwaukee | 10 | 0 | 12.6 | .380 | .333 | .692 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 5.7 |
| Career | 955 | 546 | 35.8 | .540 | .171 | .818 | 5.7 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 24.3 | |
| All-Star | 6 | 5 | 21.7 | .426 | – | .895 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | – | 34.7 | .571 | – | .647 | 8.3 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 17.0 |
| 1979 | L.A. Lakers | 8 | – | 29.5 | .562 | – | .788 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 17.6 |
| 1984 | Utah | 11 | – | 41.3 | .504 | – | .863 | 7.5 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 32.2 |
| 1985 | Utah | 10 | 10 | 39.8 | .523 | .000 | .779 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 25.3 |
| 1987 | Detroit | 15 | 15 | 33.3 | .539 | – | .775 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 20.5 |
| 1988 | Detroit | 23 | 23 | 35.0 | .524 | .000 | .787 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 19.4 |
| 1991 | Milwaukee | 3 | 0 | 6.3 | .143 | – | .750 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Career | 73 | 48 | 34.5 | .525 | .000 | .796 | 5.4 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 21.3 | |
Awards and Recognition
The Utah Jazz retired Dantley's jersey number (#4) on April 11, 2007. This means no other Jazz player will wear that number.
Adrian Dantley had great success in high school, college, the Olympics, and the NBA. On April 7, 2008, he was chosen for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This is a huge honor for basketball players.
Coaching Career
Dantley was an assistant basketball coach at Towson State from 1993 to 1996. He had played for Towson's head coach, Terry Truax, in high school.
Later, Dantley worked for the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach for eight seasons. He even briefly served as the team's head coach in the 2009–10 NBA season. He filled in for George Karl, who was battling cancer at the time.
Besides his professional coaching, Dantley also coaches young basketball players. He teaches them in Silver Spring, Maryland, in his free time.
Personal Life
Adrian Dantley's son, Cameron Dantley, was a starting quarterback for the Syracuse Orange football team in 2008.
Dantley also works as a referee for high school and local league games in the Washington D.C. area. In 2013, it was reported that Dantley worked as a crossing guard. He helped school children safely cross the street in Silver Spring. He said he took the job because he "got bored sitting around the house."
See also
In Spanish: Adrian Dantley para niños
- List of NBA career scoring leaders
- List of NBA career field goal percentage leaders
- List of NBA career free throw scoring leaders
- List of NBA annual scoring leaders
