Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professional

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player and coach who played 15 seasons in the

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(NBA). Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time

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selection and a two-time

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. Dantley finished ninth on the all-time NBA scoring list at the time of his retirement and was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

in 2008. He served as an assistant coach for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

of the NBA from 2003 to 2011. He played

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for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Early years

Dantley attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he played under Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten and assistant

Terry Truax Terry Truax (June 10, 1945 – February 15, 2015) was an American basketball coach, best known for his tenure as head coach for Towson University from 1983 to 1997. Truax played college basketball at Maryland before embarking on his coaching c ...

. He was teammates with future NBA player Kenny Carr, who graduated a year after Dantley. He contributed to a 36-game winning streak and a 57–2 overall record. As a senior, he received All-American honors.

College career

Dantley accepted a basketball scholarship from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1974–75 and 1975–76. He ranks second on Notre Dame's career scoring list with 2,223 points and holds the school record for free throws made (615) and free throws attempted (769). Dantley had a stellar collegiate career for the Fighting Irish. As a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

, he played an important role in one of the biggest games in college basketball history, Notre Dame's 1974 upset to end

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

's record 88-game winning streak. That UCLA team, coached by

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as hea ...

, featured Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes (then known as Keith Wilkes), and Dave Meyers. Dantley led Notre Dame in scoring in 1974–75 (30.4 points per game) and 1975–76 (28.6 points per game), while also leading the team in rebounding those two seasons with marks of 10.2 and 10.1 rebounds per game, respectively. He was also the leading scorer on the 1976 US Olympic team that captured the gold medal in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

. Dantley declared for the

1976 NBA Draft The 1976 NBA draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 8, 1976, before the 1976–77 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players a ...

after his junior season at Notre Dame. He eventually graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in economics in August 1978.

Professional career

Buffalo Braves

Dantley was selected by the Buffalo Braves sixth overall of the

. He was named a starter at

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronge ...

, averaging 20.3 points per game and became the third Buffalo player in five years to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award when he won it after the 1977 season. On September 1, 1977, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers along with forward Mike Bantom, in exchange for

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

Billy Knight, who was the league's second‐best scorer during the

1976–77 NBA season The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history, beating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the NBA ...

. Dantley was the first NBA Rookie of the Year to be traded following his rookie season.

Indiana Pacers

In the 1977–78 NBA season, he appeared in 23 games and ranked third in the league in scoring with a 26.6 average. On December 13, 1977, with the Pacers needing a bigger presence at center, he was traded along with undersized center

Dave Robisch David George Robisch (born December 22, 1949) is a retired American professional basketball player in the ABA and NBA. Robisch played at the University of Kansas, where he was initiated into the Sigma Nu fraternity. He was positioned at center ...

to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, in exchange for center James Edwards,

Earl Tatum William Earl Tatum (born July 26, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball player from Mount Vernon, New York. He was a 6'4½" (194 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) guard who played high school basketball at Mount Vernon, where he was ...

and cash considerations.

Los Angeles Lakers

In the 1977–78 season, he appeared in 56 games at

, finishing second in team behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with an average of 19.4 points, to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest. In the 1978–79 season, he was hampered by injuries, allowing

Jamaal Wilkes to showcase his skills. Dantley still managed to play in 60 games, averaging 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He also displayed an uncanny knack for drawing fouls, leading the league in free throws made with 541 out of 680 attempts. On September 13, 1979, the team gambled on the talents of the 26-year-old Wilkes, trading the 23-year-old Dantley to the Utah Jazz before the start of the Lakers' championship season, in exchange for the 31-year-old power forward

Spencer Haywood Spencer Haywood (born April 22, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist. Haywood is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2015. High school career In 1964, Hayw ...

Utah Jazz

In Utah, Dantley reached his peak establishing his reputation as a prolific scorer, twice leading the league in scoring (in 1981 and 1984). He averaged over 30 points per game each season between 1981 and 1984, during which he achieved his single game scoring record: 57 points in a 131–124 win over the Bulls on December 4, 1982. Dantley missed 60 games in 1983 after tearing ligaments in his right wrist. In 1984, Dantley recorded his postseason career high in single game scoring, 46 points in a Western Conference Semifinals Game 5 win over the Suns. However, the Jazz would go on to lose the series. That offseason, he was named the

NBA Comeback Player of the Year The NBA Comeback Player of the Year Award was an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award presented to a player who recovered from a subpar season after achieving success in the past. It was awarded from 1981 though 1986. Along with sev ...

. In his seven years with the Jazz, Dantley picked up all six of his All-Star appearances and two All-NBA second-team honors. During the 1980 NBA All-Star Game, Dantley was the first Utah Jazz player (since the team moved from New Orleans) to play in an All-Star game, and led the West in scoring with 23 points during a 144–136 loss. The total would also be the highest amount Dantley would score in his six All-Star games. Dantley's 1980–1984 seasons include two of the top three and four of the top seven spots in true shooting percentage for players averaging at least 30 points per game. On August 21, 1986, because of a deteriorated relationship with head coach

Frank Layden Francis Layden (born January 5, 1932) is an American former basketball coach and executive of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz as well as former head coach of the Women's National Basketball Association's Utah Starzz. Coaching ...

over his contract negotiations, he was traded with second-round draft choices in 1987 (#38- Norris Coleman) and 1990 (#49- Phil Henderson) to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for

Kelly Tripucka Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game ...

and center

Kent Benson Michael Kent Benson (born December 27, 1954) is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player. Benson was a two time All-American at Indiana University, winning the 1976 Helms Foundation Player of the Year and helping lead th ...

Detroit Pistons

In the 1985–86 season, Dantley was still an effective scorer but did not get as many shots with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, and Bill Laimbeer all averaging at least 10 points per game. Dantley was knocked unconscious while diving for a loose ball in Game 7 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. By starting the season with the 1988–89 Pistons, he is considered to be part of one of the top 10 teams in NBA history. On February 15, 1989, midway through the

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he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks along with a 1991 first round draft pick (#19- LaBradford Smith), in exchange for Mark Aguirre, due to what Dantley maintained were conflicts with Thomas, but also reflected Dantley's clashes with head coach

Chuck Daly Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era—a ...

and general manager Jack McCloskey over his demand for a focal point role on offense and more minutes than Dennis Rodman.

Final years and retirement

In the 1989–90 season, he averaged 14.7 points in 45 games with the Dallas Mavericks, before missing the final two months with a broken leg. On April 2, 1990, he was released after playing in two seasons (76 games). On April 2, 1991, after being out of basketball for most of the season, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

, where he played 13 games (3 in the playoffs). On September 18, 1991, Dantley signed with Italian team Breeze Arese for the 1991–92 season. He averaged 26.7 points per game.

Player profile

Although listed as a small forward due to his size, Dantley played primarily in the low post, similar to a power forward. Dantley finished his NBA career with an average of 24.3 points per game. He scored his points with a mix of flat-footed mid-range jump shots, high-percentage opportunities close to the basket, and frequent trips to the

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

line. For his career, he shot .540 from the floor—16th in NBA history—and .818 from the free throw line. He led the league in free throws six times and ranks ninth all-time in that category. He shares the record with Wilt Chamberlain for most free throws made in a regular-season NBA game with 28. One of the all-time great free throw shooters, he had a set routine of four two-handed dribbles and two spins of the ball before every free throw. In addition, "prior to each free throw, he would recite his mantra from junior high that adept lip readers couldn’t mistake: “Over the front rim, backspin, follow through.” Fundamentals were not lip service but a way of life for Dantley. His ability to score in the low post was even more remarkable considering one of his legs is significantly shorter than the other. To compensate for the nearly 2 inch difference in leg length, he wore custom-made inserts in his shoes.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 77 , , – , , 36.6 , , .520 , , – , , .818 , , 7.6 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 23 , , – , , 41.2 , , .499 , , – , , .787 , , 9.4 , , 2.8 , , 2.1 , , 0.7 , , 26.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 56 , , – , , 35.4 , , .520 , , – , , .801 , , 7.2 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.1 , , 19.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , – , , 29.6 , , .510 , , – , , .854 , , 5.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, 68 , , – , , 39.3 , , .576 , , .000 , , .842 , , 7.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 28.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , – , , style="background:#cfecec;", 42.7* , , .559 , , .286 , , .806 , , 6.4 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 30.7* , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 39.8 , , .570 , , .333 , , .792 , , 6.3 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 30.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 22 , , 40.3 , , .580 , , – , , .847 , , 6.4 , , 4.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 30.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 37.8 , , .558 , , .250 , , .859 , , 5.7 , , 3.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 30.6* , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 46 , , 35.8 , , .531 , , – , , .804 , , 5.9 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 26.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 75 , , 36.1 , , .563 , , .091 , , .791 , , 5.2 , , 3.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 29.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 81 , , 81 , , 33.8 , , .534 , , .167 , , .812 , , 4.1 , , 2.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 50 , , 31.1 , , .514 , , .000 , , .860 , , 3.3 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 42 , , 31.9 , , .521 , , – , , .839 , , 3.9 , , 2.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 18.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, 31 , , 25 , , 34.9 , , .462 , , .000 , , .776 , , 4.9 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 45 , , 45 , , 28.9 , , .477 , , .000 , , .787 , , 3.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 12.6 , , .380 , , .333 , , .692 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 5.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 955 , , 546 , , 35.8 , , .540 , , .171 , , .818 , , 5.7 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 24.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 6 , , 5 , , 21.7 , , .426 , , – , , .895 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 10.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1978 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3, , –, , 34.7, , .571, , –, , .647, , 8.3, , 3.7, , 1.7, , 1.0, , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1979 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8, , –, , 29.5, , .562, , –, , .788, , 4.1, , 1.4, , 0.8, , 0.1, , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1984 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11, , –, , 41.3, , .504, , –, , .863, , 7.5, , 4.2, , 0.9, , 0.1, , 32.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1985 , style="text-align:left;",

, 10, , 10, , 39.8, , .523, , .000, , .779, , 7.5, , 2.0, , 1.6, , 0.0, , 25.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1987 , style="text-align:left;",

, 15, , 15, , 33.3, , .539, , –, , .775, , 4.5, , 2.3, , 0.9, , 0.0, , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 23, , 23, , 35.0, , .524, , .000, , .787, , 4.7, , 2.0, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 19.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3, , 0, , 6.3, , .143, , –, , .750, , 1.3, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 73 , , 48 , , 34.5 , , .525 , , .000 , , .796 , , 5.4 , , 2.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 21.3

Honors

Utah retired Dantley's uniform number (#4) on April 11, 2007. Dantley enjoyed outstanding success at every level of basketball, including high school, college, Olympics, and the NBA. On April 7, 2008, he was elected to the

Coaching

Dantley was an assistant basketball coach at then- Towson State from August 1993 to 1996. Dantley had played for Towson head coach

in high school. Dantley later worked for the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach for eight seasons. He briefly served as the team's head coach during the 2009–10 NBA season, filling in for George Karl, who was fighting cancer. In addition to playing professionally, in his spare time, Dantley coaches basketball to aspiring players in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Personal life

Dantley's son, Cameron Dantley, was the starting quarterback for the Syracuse Orange during the 2008 season. Dantley works as a referee for high school and recreational league games in the DC area.

References

External links

NBA.com bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dantley, Adrian 1955 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Washington, D.C. Buffalo Braves draft picks Buffalo Braves players Dallas Mavericks players DeMatha Catholic High School alumni Denver Nuggets assistant coaches Detroit Pistons players Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Lakers players Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Milwaukee Bucks players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Shooting guards Small forwards United States men's national basketball team players Utah Jazz players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople