Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. (/ˈmækəˌdu/MAK-ə-doo; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professionalbasketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-timeNBA All-Star and named theNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975. He won twoNBA championships with theLos Angeles Lakers during theirShowtime era in the 1980s. In 2000, McAdoo was inducted into theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to theNBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
McAdoo playedcenter for the majority of his career. In his 21-season playing career, he spent 14 seasons in the NBA and his final seven in theLega Basket Serie A in Italy. McAdoo is one of the few players who have won both NBA and theFIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) titles as a player.[1] He later won three more NBA titles in2006,2012 and2013 as an assistant coach with theMiami Heat.
McAdoo was raised inGreensboro, North Carolina. His mother, Vandalia, taught at his grade school, and his father, Robert, was a custodian atNorth Carolina A&T University. McAdoo attendedBen L. Smith High School, where he not only participated in basketball and track, but was also in the marching band as a saxophone player.[2]
As a senior, he led Ben L. Smith to the state basketball semifinals, and was thehigh jump state champion in track, where he set a new state high jump record of 6 feet 7.75 inches, beating out future North Carolina teammateBobby Jones.[2][3][4]
Out of high school, McAdoo initially lacked the academic test scores required by the Division I schools, so he chose to enroll atVincennes University, then ajunior college, inVincennes, Indiana from 1969 through 1971. Vincennes University won theNJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1970, with McAdoo scoring 27 points in the championship game. His roommate was teammateFoots Walker.[3] McAdoo was named a Junior College All-American as a sophomore in 1971.[5]
At Vincennes, McAdoo averaged 19.3 points and 10 rebounds in 1969–70 and 25.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in 1970–71.[6][7]
McAdoo played forTeam USA at the1971 Pan American Games, in the summer 1971, averaging 11.0 points per game.[8]
"We didn't really recruit him," CoachDean Smith of North Carolina said. "His mother called us to start it. She said all the other schools were recruiting him. Why weren't we?"[9]
McAdoo enrolled at the University of North Carolina in 1971, the only junior college player Dean Smith recruited in his career.[9] McAdoo, playing alongside Bobby Jones, led Smith's1971–72 Tar Heels to a 26–5 record and the Final Four of the1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament. McAdoo averaged 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. He was named first-teamAll-American. He also earned MVP honors at theACC tournament.[10]
Citing family hardship, McAdoo sought and won early eligibility for the1972 NBA draft under the "hardship" clause that existed until 1977. McAdoo consulted with Coach Dean Smith, who encouraged him to go to the NBA.[7][11]
McAdoo said, "When I left, a lot of people were very angry and upset. But Dean gave me his blessing. He told me, 'If they're going to offer you this kind of money, I think you should leave to help you and your family.' I had his blessing. My mother was totally against it," McAdoo added, "but my father and Dean Smith were the guys who got me to move."[12]
McAdoo sought and won early eligibility in the1972 NBA draft.
However, it was rumored that McAdoo had signed with theVirginia Squires of the rivalAmerican Basketball Association after a "secret" ABA draft in which names of those drafted were not made public. Even though no contract was produced and McAdoo denied it, NBA CommissionerWalter Kennedy reportedly advised NBA teams not to draft McAdoo.[13] Other reports were that a contract was signed and voided, because McAdoo was too young to have signed it and that Buffalo somehow knew this.[14] Later, McAdoo was indeed noted as the No. 1 pick of the1972 ABA draft.[3][15][16]
Buffalo acted anyway, and McAdoo was selected with the No. 2 overall pick by theBuffalo Braves (now theLos Angeles Clippers), after rumors that contract talks between thePortland Trail Blazers and McAdoo did not come to fruition with the first pick.[17]LaRue Martin was selected by Portland.[2] McAdoo signed with the Braves and quickly became one of theNBA's premier players. He won the 1973NBA Rookie of the Year Award and was named to theNBA All-Rookie First Team. He earned the first of three consecutive NBA scoring titles in only his second season.
McAdoo was frustrated with Buffalo's losing in his rookie season, saying, "Here I was sitting at Buffalo, we were on the way to losing 61 games and we didn't have any players. My wife could have outrun those people."[3]
His second season (1973–74) remains the last time an NBA player has averaged both 30.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game. McAdoo also led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1973–74, shooting 54.7 percent. That year he enjoyed his first of fiveAll-Star selections, and led Buffalo to its first playoffs appearance, though they would lose in the first round toDave Cowens and the eventual-championBoston Celtics.[18]
In1974–75, he was awarded theNBA Most Valuable Player Award, averaging34.5 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.12 blocks per game, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 80.5 percent from the free throw line. He also led the league in fan voting for the 1975 All-Star Game with 98,325 votes.[19][20] McAdoo is the youngest player to have had a 50-point/20-rebound game.[21] That season, with McAdoo aided by strong play fromJim McMillian andRandy Smith, the Braves would finish with an improved 49–33 record, though again they would lose in their first postseason matchup, this time a seven-game series loss toElvin Hayes,Wes Unseld, and theWashington Bullets[22]
During the1976 NBA Playoffs, McAdoo and the Braves would finally advance out of the first round, beating thePhiladelphia 76ers as McAdoo averaged 30.3 points, 18.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 47.3 minutes per game.[23] However, in the following round the Braves would again be eliminated by theCeltics, who would once again go on to win the finals.
The following season, on December 7, 1976, McAdoo grabbed a career-high 29 rebounds, while adding 42 points, in a 107–103 loss to theIndiana Pacers.[24] Two days later, McAdoo was traded by the Buffalo Braves withTom McMillen to theNew York Knicks forJohn Gianelli and cash.[25]
McAdoo's style was very modern for his time. Although a "big man" at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he had no problems taking shots from the perimeter, which, in his prime, made him a nearly unstoppable force on offense. In 334 games with Buffalo, McAdoo averaged 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 steals.[25]
In 52 games with the Knicks in 1976–77, McAdoo averaged 26.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals under Hall of Fame CoachRed Holzman, as the Knicks finished 40–42, missing the playoffs. Joining the Knicks, McAdoo played alongside future Hall of Fame teammatesWalt Frazier,Earl Monroe,Spencer Haywood,Bill Bradley andPhil Jackson.[26]
In 1977–78, the Knicks, finished 43–39 under new CoachWillis Reed, as McAdoo averaged 26.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals in 79 games. The Knicks defeated theCleveland Cavaliers 2–0 in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, before losing to thePhiladelphia 76ers withJulius Erving 4–0 in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. McAdoo averaged 34.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the Cavaliers series and 18.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals in the 76ers series.[27][28][29]
In 1978–79, the Knicks fired Willis Reed and rehired Red Holtzman mid-season. On January 23, 1979, McAdoo scored his most points scored as a Knick, with 45 in a 148–124 loss against theLos Angeles Lakers.[30] After 40 games with the Knicks, McAdoo was averaging 26.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists when he was traded. On February 12, 1979, McAdoo was traded by the Knicks to theBoston Celtics forTom Barker and three first-round picks in the1979 NBA draft. In the draft, the Knicks selectedBill Cartwright with the third pick,Larry Demic with the ninth, andSly Williams with the 21st.[31][25]
In 171 games with the Knicks, McAdoo averaged 26.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals.[25]
In his tenure with Boston under player/CoachDave Cowens, Boston finished 29–53. McAdoo averaged 20.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, playing fewer minutes in a frontcourt with Cowens,Cedric Maxwell,Marvin Barnes andRick Robey.[32]
After the season Boston fired Cowens as coach, replaced him withBill Fitch, andLarry Bird arrived from Indiana State.[25][33]
On September 6, 1979, McAdoo was traded by the Celtics to theDetroit Pistons for a number one 1980 draft pick (Joe Barry Carroll was later selected) and a number 13 (1st round) 1980 draft pick (Rickey Brown was later selected). This exchange was arranged as compensation for Boston signing veteran free agentM.L. Carr on July 24, 1979. The number one pick Boston received was later traded to theGolden State Warriors who used it to select Carroll. In return, Boston received the #3 overall pick (used to selectKevin McHale) and centerRobert Parish.[25][33][34]
In 1979–80, McAdoo joined a Pistons team that finished 16–66 under coachesDick Vitale (4–8), who had encouraged the trade for McAdoo, and Vitale's replacementRichie Adubato (12–58). Playing alongside Hall of FamerBob Lanier, McAdoo averaged 21.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 58 games.[35][36]
On February 19, 1981, McAdoo, who had been injured, claimed he was healthy and asked to be reinstated into the Pistons starting lineup. CoachScotty Robertson denied his request, saying McAdoo had not practiced and was not in proper physical shape. McAdoo asked to be allowed to go home and was allowed to leave. The next day Pistons general managerJack McCloskey notified McAdoo to not return for the rest of the season.[37] On March 11, 1981, McAdoo was waived by the Pistons after playing in only six games with the team in 1980–81, as Detroit finished 21–61. He would be the last Piston to wear #11 before the arrival ofIsiah Thomas.[25]
On March 13, 1981, McAdoo signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets. He played ten games with the Nets, averaging 15 minutes per contest as the Nets finished 24–58.[38]
On December 24, 1981, McAdoo was traded by the New Jersey Nets to theLos Angeles Lakers for a 1983 2nd round draft pick (Kevin Williams was later selected). McAdoo had not played for the Nets in the 1981–82 season andMitch Kupchak had become injured for the Lakers.[39][40]
"As the 1981–82 season began, I was in the middle of a contract dispute with the New Jersey Nets. However, I couldn't even play since I was still recovering from off-season surgery to have bone spurs removed from my foot. There were times, standing around on crutches for months, when I thought my career was over." McAdoo reflected, "But I got a call from the Lakers on Christmas Eve. They had just lost a key player, Mitch Kupchak, who blew out his knee. In the short term, they were hoping I could fill his void coming off the bench. In the long term, I think they were hoping I could help the team get headed in the right direction."[41]
McAdoo had a memorable end to his NBA career, winning two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and 1985 as a keyreserve on theShowtime-era teams with Hall of FamersMagic Johnson,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar andJames Worthy. The former MVP was silently frustrated with not starting behind players such asJim Brewer,Mark Landsberger, andKurt Rambis, but sacrificed to be part of championship teams.[42]
"That championship is the one thing I don't have I'll do whatever I need to get it." McAdoo said in playing with the Lakers in 1982.[43]
In 1981–82, the Lakers won the 1982 NBA Championship, asPat Riley had taken over coaching fromPaul Westhead. Riley and McAdoo thus began a professional relationship that continued for decades. In 41 games with the Lakers, McAdoo averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18.2 minutes in the regular season. In the1982 NBA Finals, McAdoo averaged 16.3 points in 27 minutes as the Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4–2. In the entire playoffs, McAdoo averaged 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds.[44][45][25]
McAdoo re-signed with the Lakers for the 1982–83 season, declining a more lucrative offer from the Philadelphia 76ers in order to remain with the Lakers.[46]
Averaging 15.0 points in 1982-1983 and 13.1 points in 1983–84 for the Lakers in the next two seasons, the team finished 58–24 and 54–28. McAdoo played with a severely injured hamstring in the 1983 playoffs. "If we could have had Mac (McAdoo) healthy, we might have had a shot," coach Riley said after the 1983 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals.[47]
McAdoo averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as the Lakers lost 4–3 to the Boston Celtics in the 1984 NBA Finals.[48][47]
McAdoo helped the Lakers to another NBA Championship in 1984–85, defeating Boston 4–2 in the NBA Finals. McAdoo was the 6th man, averaging 8.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in the 1985 NBA Finals and 11.4 points in the entire playoffs.[25] After the season, the Lakers did not re-sign McAdoo, instead offering a contract to veteranMaurice Lucas for the 6th man role.[49]
"It was a great opportunity for me to play with Kareem and Magic," McAdoo said of his tenure with the Lakers. "For the first time in my career, I had a chance to win a championship. But I had no thoughts at all in my mind about coming off the bench. It just happened. To me it was a wrap I would start. They didn't have anyone who could stick with me at that position, but I dealt with it because I had never been on a championship team. And I've never been one to cause disruption or anything like that."[43]
On January 31, 1986, McAdoo signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers.[25]
He finished his NBA career with 29 games for thePhiladelphia 76ers in the 1985–86 season, averaging 10.1 points alongsideJulius Erving,Moses Malone andCharles Barkley. McAdoo averaged 10.8 points in the 76ers two playoff series.[50][25] In the final game of his NBA career, McAdoo scored 7 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 12 minutes of playing time, during a 113-112 Game 7 semifinals loss to theMilwaukee Bucks.[51]
In his NBA career, McAdoo scored 18,787 career points. He averaged 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in 852 games. He played for the Buffalo Braves (1972–1976), New York Knicks (1976–1979), Boston Celtics (1979), Detroit Pistons (1979–1980), New Jersey Nets (1980–1981), Los Angeles Lakers (1981–1985) and Philadelphia 76ers (1986).[25]
After hisNBA career ended, McAdoo played in Italy, first playing withOlimpia Milano, as one of the best American players ever seen in Europe, and theFIBA European Champions Cup (now known as theEuroLeague). McAdoo played with Olimpia Milano from the 1986–87 season, to the 1989–90 season. He led the club to two straight FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) titles, in the1986–87 and1987–88 seasons, being named theEuroLeague Final Four MVP in1988. With the same club, he also won theFIBA Intercontinental Cup (1987), twoItalian League championships (1987, 1989), and theItalian Cup (1987).
Later, he played with the Italian clubsFilanto Forlì (1990–92) andTeamsystem Fabriano (1992), before retiring from playing professional basketball, in 1992, at age 41.[52] In his last season, he retired after playing in just 2 games.[53] In seven seasons in the Italian League, McAdoo played in 201 games, and averaged 27.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.[54] In three seasons in the EuroLeague, all as a member of Olimpia Milano, he averaged 25.8 points per game overall, averaging 21.8 points per game in 1986–87, 29.1 points per game in 1987–88, and 25.5 points per game in1989–90.
Beginning in 1995, McAdoo worked 25 years for theMiami Heat.[55] He was anassistant coach for 19 seasons under Pat Riley (1995–2003, 2005–2008),Stan Van Gundy (2003–2005) andErik Spoelstra (2008–2013), winning three NBA championships. He has since worked the last five seasons as a scout and community liaison for Miami.[56]
McAdoo came to the Heat organization when Pat Riley, who had been his coach for two championship seasons with the Lakers in the 1980s, left the New York Knicks to become the Heat's head coach and GM in 1995. Riley quickly reached out to McAdoo to join his coaching staff.[57]
McAdoo's first wife, Charlina, died of cancer in 1991.[12] They had four children together - sons Robert III and Russell and his daughter Rita live in New Jersey, while their other son, Ross, lives in Alaska.[57][56][58][59]
McAdoo and his wife, Patrizia, whom he met while playing professionally in Italy, live inBoca Raton, Florida. They have two children. Their daughterRasheeda graduated fromGeorgia Tech where she played on the tennis team and qualified for the2017 NCAA Singles Championship. She plays professional tennis.[59][60][61] Their son Ryan is a basketball player at theUniversity of North Carolina.[62]
In 2010, McAdoo took part in theBasketball Without Borders program inSingapore, which uses sport to create a positive social change in areas of education, health and wellness. He also participated in the program inBeijing in 2009 and the NBA Legends Tour toSouth Africa in 1993, a goodwill mission to promote the NBA. McAdoo was also the basketball technical adviser for the 1993 feature film, "The Air Up There", starringKevin Bacon.[57]
In 2012, McAdoo was treated for a blood clot in his leg.[63]
McAdoo's second cousin, Ronnie McAdoo, is the father ofJames Michael McAdoo, who also played for the Tar Heels basketball team and turned pro in 2014.[64] In 2013, formerNFL playerEphraim Salaam revealed that he is a nephew of McAdoo.[65]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–73 | Buffalo | 80 | — | 32.0 | .452 | — | .774 | 9.1 | 1.7 | — | — | 18.0 |
| 1973–74 | Buffalo | 74 | — | 43.0 | .547* | — | .793 | 15.1 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 30.6* |
| 1974–75 | Buffalo | 82 | — | 43.2* | .512 | — | .805 | 14.1 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 34.5* |
| 1975–76 | Buffalo | 78 | — | 42.7* | .487 | — | .762 | 12.4 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 31.1* |
| 1976–77 | Buffalo | 20 | — | 38.4 | .455 | — | .696 | 13.2 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 23.7 |
| 1976–77 | New York | 52 | — | 39.1 | .534 | — | .757 | 12.7 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 26.7 |
| 1977–78 | New York | 79 | — | 40.3 | .520 | — | .727 | 12.8 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 26.5 |
| 1978–79 | New York | 40 | — | 39.9 | .541 | — | .651 | 9.5 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 26.9 |
| 1978–79 | Boston | 20 | — | 31.9 | .500 | — | .670 | 7.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 20.6 |
| 1979–80 | Detroit | 58 | — | 36.2 | .480 | .125 | .730 | 8.1 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 21.1 |
| 1980–81 | Detroit | 6 | — | 28.0 | .366 | — | .600 | 6.8 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 12.0 |
| 1980–81 | New Jersey | 10 | — | 15.3 | .507 | .000 | .810 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 9.3 |
| 1981–82† | L.A. Lakers | 41 | 0 | 18.2 | .458 | .000 | .714 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 9.6 |
| 1982–83 | L.A. Lakers | 47 | 1 | 21.7 | .520 | .000 | .730 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 15.0 |
| 1983–84 | L.A. Lakers | 70 | 0 | 20.8 | .471 | .000 | .803 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 13.1 |
| 1984–85† | L.A. Lakers | 66 | 0 | 19.0 | .520 | .000 | .753 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 10.5 |
| 1985–86 | Philadelphia | 29 | 0 | 21.0 | .462 | — | .765 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 10.1 |
| Career | 852 | ? | 33.2 | .503 | .081 | .754 | 9.4 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 22.1 | |
| All-Star | 5 | 3 | 25.2 | .578 | — | .737 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 17.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Buffalo | 6 | — | 45.2 | .478 | — | .809 | 13.7 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 31.7 |
| 1975 | Buffalo | 7 | — | 46.7* | .481 | — | .740 | 13.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 37.4* |
| 1976 | Buffalo | 9 | — | 45.1* | .451 | — | .707 | 14.2 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 28.0 |
| 1978 | New York | 6 | — | 39.7 | .484 | — | .600 | 9.7 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 23.8 |
| 1982† | L.A. Lakers | 14 | — | 27.7 | .564 | — | .681 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 16.7 |
| 1983 | L.A. Lakers | 8 | — | 20.8 | .440 | .333 | .786 | 5.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 10.9 |
| 1984 | L.A. Lakers | 20 | — | 22.4 | .516 | .000 | .704 | 5.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 14.0 |
| 1985† | L.A. Lakers | 19 | 0 | 20.9 | .472 | .000 | .745 | 4.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 11.4 |
| 1986 | Philadelphia | 5 | 0 | 14.6 | .556 | — | .875 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 10.8 |
| Career | 94 | 0 | 28.9 | .491 | .250 | .724 | 7.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 18.3 | |
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