Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professionalbasketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA).[1] Dantley is a six-timeNBA All-Star, a two-timeAll-NBA selection and a two-timeNBA scoring champion. Dantley finished ninth on the all-time NBA scoring list at the time of his retirement and was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He served as an assistant coach for theDenver Nuggets of the NBA from 2003 to 2011. He playedcollege basketball for theNotre Dame Fighting Irish.
Dantley attendedDeMatha Catholic High School inHyattsville, Maryland, where he played under Hall of Fame coachMorgan Wootten and assistantTerry Truax.[2]
Dantley accepted a basketball scholarship from theUniversity of Notre Dame. He was a consensus first-teamAll-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 theFighting Irish. As afreshman, he played an important role in one of the biggest games in college basketball history, Notre Dame's 1974 upset to endUCLA's record 88-game winning streak. That UCLA team, coached byJohn Wooden, featuredBill Walton,Jamaal Wilkes (then known as Keith Wilkes), andDave 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 inrebounding 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 inMontreal.
Dantley declared for the1976 NBA draft after his junior season at Notre Dame. He eventually graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in economics in August 1978.[3]
Dantley was selected by theBuffalo Braves sixth overall of the1976 NBA draft. He was named a starter atsmall forward, averaging 20.3 points per game and became the third Buffalo player in five years to receive theNBA Rookie of the Year Award when he won it after the1977 season.
On September 1, 1977, he was traded to theIndiana Pacers along withforwardMike Bantom, in exchange forshooting guardBilly Knight, who was the league's second-best scorer during the1976–77 NBA season. Dantley was the first NBA Rookie of the Year to be traded following his rookie season.
In the1977–78 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 atcenter, he was traded along with undersizedcenterDave Robisch to theLos Angeles Lakers, in exchange forcenterJames Edwards,shooting guardEarl Tatum and cash considerations.[4]
In the1977–78 season, he appeared in 56 games atsmall forward, finishing second in team scoring behindKareem Abdul-Jabbar with an average of 19.4 points, to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest.
In the1978–79 season, he was hampered by injuries, allowingsmall forwardJamaal 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.[5]
On September 13, 1979, the team gambled on the talents of the 26-year-old Wilkes, trading the 23-year-old Dantley to theUtah Jazz before the start of the Lakers' championship season, in exchange for the 31-year-oldpower forwardSpencer Haywood.[6]
In Utah, Dantley reached his peak establishing his reputation as a prolific scorer, twice leading the league in scoring (in1981 and1984). 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.[7] Dantley missed 60 games in1983 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.[8] However, the Jazz would go on to lose the series.[9] That offseason, he was named theNBA Comeback Player of the Year.[10]
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 the1980 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.[11] The total would also be the highest amount Dantley would score in his six All-Star games.[12] 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.[13] Dantley's relationship with head coachFrank Layden began to deteriorate when he had held out the first six games of the 1984-85 season and it held grew further on from there. He was sent home for a game after defending rookieKarl Malone in an argument with Layden (after Malone missed free throws late in a game) and was symbolically fined "30 dimes".[14] Dantley would be forced to miss the entire first round of the1986 NBA Playoffs due to muscle spasms in his lower back to Layden's dismay, causing him to look for trade destinations for Dantley. In his absence, the Jazz would lose in 4 games to theDallas Mavericks.
On August 21, 1986, after dispute over his contract negotiations with Layden, he was traded with second-round draft choices in 1987 (#38-Norris Coleman) and 1990 (#49-Phil Henderson) to theDetroit Pistons in exchange forshooting guardKelly Tripucka andcenterKent Benson.[15] Team presidentDave Checketts stated at the time of the trade: "We knew we had to get rid of him and we were never so happy to get rid of a guy in the history of the franchise.”[16] As it turned out, Tripucka and Benson would play a combined three seasons for Utah.
In the1986–87 season, Dantley was still an effective scorer but did not get as many shots withIsiah Thomas,Joe Dumars,Vinnie Johnson, andBill Laimbeer all averaging at least 10 points per game. Dantley was knocked unconscious while diving for a loose ball in Game 7 of the 1987Eastern Conference Finals.[17]
On February 15, 1989, midway through theseason he was traded to theDallas Mavericks along with a 1991 first round draft pick (#19-LaBradford Smith), in exchange forMark Aguirre, due to what Dantley maintained were conflicts with Thomas, but also reflected Dantley's clashes with head coachChuck Daly and general managerJack McCloskey over his demand for a focal point role on offense and more minutes thanDennis Rodman.[18]
In the 1989–90 season, he averaged 14.7 points in 45 games with theDallas 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 afree agent with theMilwaukee Bucks, where he played 13 games (3 in the playoffs).[19]
On September 18, 1991, Dantley signed with Italian team Breeze Arese for the 1991–92 season.[20][21] He averaged 26.7 points per game.[22]
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 thefree throw 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 withWilt Chamberlain for most free throws made in a regular-season NBA game with 28.
One of the all-time great free throw shooters,[22] 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.[23]
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.[24]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
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 theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[22]
Dantley was an assistant basketball coach at then-Towson State from August 1993 to 1996.[2][25] Dantley had played for Towson head coachTerry Truax in high school.[2]
Dantley later worked for the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach for eight seasons. He briefly served as the team's head coach during the2009–10 NBA season, filling in for George Karl, who was fighting cancer.[26]
In addition to playing professionally, in his spare time, Dantley coaches basketball to aspiring players in Silver Spring, Maryland.[27]
Dantley's son, Cameron Dantley, was the starting quarterback for theSyracuse Orange during the 2008 season.[28]
Dantley works as a referee for high school and recreational league games in the DC area.[29] In 2013 it was reported that Dantley also worked as a crossing guard at Eastern Middle School inSilver Spring, Maryland.[30] Dantley was quoted saying he 'got bored sitting around the house' and took the job helping school children safely cross the street.[31]
Truax was an assistant to Morgan Wootten at DeMatha in 1969–70, during Dantley's career with the Stags.
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