Adrian Dantley
Adrian Dantley was born in Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, United States on February 28th, 1955 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 69, Adrian Dantley biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 69 years old, Adrian Dantley has this physical status:
Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1956) is an American retired basketball player who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
In 2008, he was accepted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a forward and six-time NBA All-Star.
In 2010, he was named acting head coach of the Denver Nuggets in the absence of stricken head coach George Karl.
Early years
Dantley attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he competed with Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten and assistant Terry Truax.
Kenny Carr, a future NBA player who attended a year after Dantley, was a mentor. He was part of a 36-game winning streak and a 57-two overall record. He was named All-American honors as a senior.
Personal life
During the 2008 season, Dantley's uncle, Cameron Dantley, was the starting quarterback for the Syracuse Orange.
Dantley works as a referee for high school and recreational league games in the Washington, D.C. area.
College career
Dantley earned a basketball scholarship from the University of Notre Dame. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1974-1975 and 1975–76. With 2,223 points, he ranks second on Notre Dame's career scoring list, and holds the school record for free throws made (615) and free throws attempted (769).
Dantley spent his time with the Fighting Irish in a collegiate career. He was a freshman and was instrumental in one of the biggest games in college basketball history, Notre Dame's 1974 upset to end UCLA's record 88-game winning streak. Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes (then known as Keith Wilkes), and Dave Meyers were among the UCLA students coached by John Wooden.
Dantley led Notre Dame in scoring in 1974–75 (30.4 points per game) and 1975–76 (28.6 points per game), while the team was still resurgent during those two seasons with averages of 10.2 and 10.1 rebounds per game, respectively. He was also the leading scorer on the 1976 US Olympic team, winning the gold medal in Montreal.
After his junior season at Notre Dame, Dantley announced for the 1976 NBA Draft. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1978 with a degree in economics.
Professional career
Dantley was chosen by the Buffalo Braves as the sixth overall draft of the 1976 NBA Draft. He was named a starter at 20.3 points per game, and became the third Buffalo player to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after the 1977 season.
He was traded to the Indiana Pacers along with forward Mike Bantom in exchange for shooting guard Billy Knight, who was the league's second-best scorer during the 1976-19 NBA season. After his rookie season, Dantley was the first NBA Rookie of the Year to be traded.
He appeared in 23 games and finished third in the NBA in scoring with a 26.6 average in 1977–78. On December 13, 1977, with the Pacers needing a larger presence at center, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for center James Edwards, shooting guard Earl Tatum, and cash considerations.
He appeared in 56 games as a small forward, finishing second in the team behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with an average of 19.4 points per game, as well as 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Jamaal Wilkes' abilities were hindered by injuries in the 1978-79 season, allowing small forward Jamaal Wilkes to display his talents. Dantley has continued to play in 60 games, scoring 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He also had an uncanny knack for bringing fouls, leading the league in free throws made with 541 out of 680 attempts.
The team bet on the talents of the 26-year-old Wilkes, trading Dantley, the 23-year-old guard, to the Utah Jazz before the Lakers' championship season, in exchange for 31-year-old power forward Spencer Haywood.
Dantley achieved his fame in Utah as a prolific scorer, twice leading the league in scoring (in 1981 and 1984). He averaged over 30 points per game in 1981 to 1984, when he set a single game scoring record: 57 points in a 131–124 victory over the Bulls on December 4, 1982. Dantley played in 1983 after tearing ligaments in his right wrist. In 1984, Dantley tied for his highest single game scoring, 46 points, in a Western Conference Semifinals victory over the Suns, beating the Suns. However, the Jazz will continue to lose the series if they so desired. He was named the NBA Comeback Player of the Year in the offseason.
Dantley played for all six of his All-Star appearances and two All-NBA second-team awards in his seven years with the Jazz. Dantley, the first Utah Jazz player since the club moved from New Orleans) to play in an All-Star game, led the West in scoring with 23 points in a 144–136 loss. The figure would also be the highest amount Dantley will score in his six All-Star games. Dantley's 1980--1984 seasons featured 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.
He was traded with the Detroit Pistons in 1987 (#38-Norris Coleman) and 1990 (#49-Phil Henderson), to cover shooting guard Kelly Tripucka and center Kent Benson) because of a deteriorated relationship with head coach Frank Layden over his employment negotiations.
Dantley was still a good scorer in the 1985-86 season, but he did not get as many shots with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, and Bill Laimbeer, who were all averaging at least ten points per game. In Game 7 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Dantley was knocked unconscious while diving for a loose ball.
He debuted with the 1988-89 Pistons in 1988 and 1989, making him one of NBA history's top ten teams. In exchange for Mark Aguirre, Dantley and head coach Chuck Daly and general manager Jack McCloskey were traded to the Dallas Mavericks on February 15, 1989, midway through the season, but also represented Dantley's rivalry with head coach Chuck Daly and general manager Jack McCloskey over his call for a focal point position on offense and more minutes than Dennis Rodman.
In the 1989-90 season, he averaged 14.7 points in 45 games with the Dallas Mavericks before being forced to miss the final two months due to a broken leg. After playing in two seasons (76 games), he was released on April 2, 1990.
He signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks on April 2, 1991, after being out of basketball for the majority of the season, where he appeared in 13 games (3 in the playoffs).
Dantley signed with Breeze Arese, an Italian team, in 1991-92. He scored 26.7 points per game.