Adrian Dantley
(Born 1955)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2008
Card Shown:
2016-17 Panini Grand Reserve
Upper Tier Signatures
Position: SF
Height: 6’5″
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Adrian Dantley was a talented scorer who led the NBA in scoring in both 1980-81 (30.7 points per game) and 1983-84 (30.6 points per game). Dantley was a powerful yet agile forward who had the ability to post up on the inside or use his speed and moves to go by bigger forwards. Adrian scored almost one-third of his career points in the NBA at the free throw line, showing that the only way that many defenders could stop him from scoring was by fouling him.
Awards and Honors
- Adrian played high school basketball at DeMatha Catholic High School under Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten. His teams had a 57-2 overall record and he received All-America honors.
- In college, Dantley starred at Notre Dame where he was a First Team All-America selection in 1975 and 1976.
- Adrian scored 30 points and led the United States to a gold medal in the 1976 Olympic Games Final against Yugoslavia. The Yugoslavian team included Drazen Dalipagic and Kresimir Cosic.
- In 1976-77, Dantley was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. His stat line that first year was 20.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
- Adrian was a six-time NBA All-Star. He was also chosen All-NBA Second Team twice.
Points of Interest
- On January 19, 1974, Adrian was instrumental in the victory as Notre Dame ended UCLA’s NCAA record 88-game winning streak. John Wooden was the coach for that powerful Bruin team which included Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes, and Dave Meyers (brother of Ann Meyers).
- Dantley played for seven different teams during his 15-year pro basketball career. Those teams, in chronological order, were the Buffalo Braves, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, and Milwaukee Bucks.
- Adrian had a knack for drawing fouls and scored many points at the free throw line. He led the NBA in free throws made five times and in free throws attempted three times.
- Dantley retired from the NBA as its ninth-leading career scorer with 23,177 points. At that time, he was also fifth on the all-time list of free throws made with 6,832.
- Adrian finished his career with averages of 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He also shot 54% from the field and nearly 82% from the charity stripe.
Statistics
Adrian Dantley Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com