 Adelman with thePortland Trail Blazers in 1970 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-06-16)June 16, 1946 (age 79) Lynwood, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Pius X (Downey, California) |
| College | Loyola Marymount (1965–1968) |
| NBA draft | 1968: 7th round, 79th overall pick |
| Drafted by | San Diego Rockets |
| Playing career | 1968–1975 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 12, 21, 5 |
| Coaching career | 1977–2014 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1968–1970 | San Diego Rockets |
| 1970–1973 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1973–1974 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1974–1975 | New Orleans Jazz |
| 1975 | Kansas City-Omaha Kings |
Coaching | |
| 1977–1983 | Chemeketa CC |
| 1983–1989 | Portland Trail Blazers (assistant) |
| 1989–1994 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1995–1997 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1999–2006 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2007–2011 | Houston Rockets |
| 2011–2014 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As coach: | |
| Career playing statistics | |
| Points | 3,579 (7.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,129 (2.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,606 (3.5 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA | 1042–749 (.582) |
| Record atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Richard Leonard Adelman (born June 16, 1946) is an American former professionalbasketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of thePortland Trail Blazers,Golden State Warriors,Sacramento Kings,Houston Rockets andMinnesota Timberwolves.[1] He was inducted into theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021.[2]
Adelman was born inLynwood, California, the son of Gladys (née Olsen) and Leonard Joseph "L. J." Adelman, who were from North Dakota and worked as teachers and farmers.[3] Adelman began his basketball career in high school atPius X High School inDowney, California, then matriculated to collegiate stardom at Loyola University of Los Angeles, now known asLoyola Marymount University.[4] In the1968 NBA draft, he was selected by theSan Diego Rockets (now the Houston Rockets) in the 7th round.[5] He played two seasons in San Diego before being taken by the expansion Trail Blazers in the 1970 expansion draft; he then played three seasons in Portland. He also played for theChicago Bulls,New Orleans (now Utah) Jazz, and theKansas City/Omaha (now Sacramento) Kings. He ended his playing career in 1975.
From 1977 through to 1983, Adelman coached atChemeketa Community College inSalem, Oregon.
He was then hired by thePortland Trail Blazers (then coached byJack Ramsay) as an assistant. When Ramsay was fired and replaced withMike Schuler in 1986, Adelman was retained; when Schuler was in turn fired during the1988–89 season, Adelman was promoted to interim coach. After leading the team into the playoffs that year (despite a 39–43 record), Adelman was given the coaching position on a full-time basis in the 1989 off-season.
The next three years were quite successful for Adelman and the Trail Blazers; the team went to theNBA Finals in1990 and1992 (losing to theDetroit Pistons and theChicago Bulls respectively) and went to the Western Conference finals in 1991 (losing to theLos Angeles Lakers). Adelman spent two more years with the team, but was dismissed after the1993–1994 season.
After a year's absence from the sidelines, Adelman was hired as the head coach of theGolden State Warriors, May 19, 1995, fresh off the heels of an injury-riddled 26-win season prior to his hiring.[6] He was unable to have a winning season in two years there, with his first season seeing the team win just ten of their last 28 games on their way to a 36–46 record. The following season saw them finish last in the division with 30 wins. On April 28, 1997, Adelman and his assistants were fired, with Adelman stating his feeling that it seemed inevitable by February.[7]
Sitting out a season once again, Adelman was hired by theSacramento Kings in 1998. Under Adelman's guidance, the Kings were one of the most successful teams in the Western Conference, qualifying for the playoffs every year of his Sacramento career, making him the first Kings coach to lead the team to consecutive playoff appearances since the 1979-1981 teams.
During the Kings' 2000 playoff run, they metPhil Jackson's Los Angeles Lakers. Adelman questioned Jackson's motivational techniques when it was learned that Jackson compared Adelman toAdolf Hitler.[8]
In 2002, the Kings made a serious run for the NBA Finals. After clinching the first seed in the competitive Western Conference, the Kings blazed through the opening two rounds but lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
Despite the relative success in playoff appearances, Adelman did not get along with the Maloof brothers. In 2006, Adelman (in the final year of his contract) led the Kings to theplayoffs. Despite the team struggling early in the regular season, the Kings rebounded and qualified for the playoffs as the #8 seed. Although competitive, they were defeated in six games by the defending championSan Antonio Spurs. Adelman's contract with the Kings expired at the end of the2005–2006 season. On May 9, it was reported by theSacramento Bee that his contract would not be renewed.[9] The Kings did not reach the playoffs again until 2023, nearly 17 years later. Adelman remains the only coach in the Sacramento era to reach the playoffs more than once during his respective tenure with the team.
The Houston Rockets brought in Adelman as their new head coach five days after the dismissal ofJeff Van Gundy on May 18, 2007. Van Gundy had taken the Rockets to three playoff appearances in four years with no series victories. In his first season as head coach, Adelman guided the Rockets to a22-game winning streak from January through March 2008, the third-longest winning streak in NBA history. However, they lost in the first round in six games.
In the2009 season, the Rockets finished fifth in the West with a 53–29 record. They entered the playoffs without their star shooting guard,Tracy McGrady, due to an injury. Despite this loss, the Rockets defeated thePortland Trail Blazers in six games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 1997. Although they would lose the series to theLos Angeles Lakers, they also proved their resilience by taking the series to seven games despite the loss of star centerYao Ming in Game 3 of that series.
Adelman won his 800th career game, 13th among coaches in NBA history, on March 24, 2008, against the Sacramento Kings.[10]
On April 18, 2011, theHouston Chronicle reported that the Rockets would not give Adelman a new contract; Adelman and the team parted ways after four seasons and two playoff appearances.[11]
On September 13, 2011, theMinnesota Timberwolves confirmed the hiring of Adelman as their new coach.[12]
On April 6, 2013, Adelman won his 1,000th career game with a victory over theDetroit Pistons, becoming just the eighth coach in NBA history ever to do so.[13]
On April 21, 2014, Adelman announced his retirement from coaching in the NBA. It was also announced that he would stay with the Timberwolves as a consultant.[1] Adelman ranks ninth in terms of games coached and games won. He went 79–78 (.503) in playoff games and advanced to the NBA Finals twice, both times with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1990 and 1992 where they lost to theDetroit Pistons andChicago Bulls.
| 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 |
Source[14]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | San Diego | 77 | 18.8 | .394 | .642 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 6.3 | ||
| 1969–70 | San Diego | 35 | 20.5 | .389 | .747 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 7.4 | ||
| 1970–71 | Portland | 81 | 28.4 | .422 | .724 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 12.6 | ||
| 1971–72 | Portland | 80 | 30.6 | .437 | .751 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 10.1 | ||
| 1972–73 | Portland | 76 | 24.0 | .408 | .716 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 6.6 | ||
| 1973–74 | Chicago | 55 | 11.2 | .376 | .711 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .7 | .0 | 3.3 |
| 1974–75 | Chicago | 12 | 28.3 | .413 | .718 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.3 | .1 | 9.5 |
| 1974–75 | New Orleans | 28 | 21.9 | .421 | .695 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.7 | .2 | 6.3 |
| 1974–75 | Kansas City–Omaha | 18 | 6.7 | .464 | .800 | .8 | .4 | .4 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Career | 462 | 22.6 | .415 | .713 | 2.4 | 3.5 | .9 | .1 | 7.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | San Diego | 6 | 31.2 | .453 | .595 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 11.7 | ||
| 1974 | Chicago | 9 | 12.0 | .471 | .636 | 1.1 | .8 | .8 | .0 | 4.3 |
| 1975 | Kansas City–Omaha | 6 | 5.7 | .333 | .750 | .3 | .5 | .2 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Playoffs | 21 | 15.7 | .448 | .625 | 1.3 | 1.9 | .5 | .0 | 5.8 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 1988–89 | 35 | 14 | 21 | .400 | 5th in Pacific | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Portland | 1989–90 | 82 | 59 | 23 | .720 | 2nd in Pacific | 21 | 12 | 9 | .571 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Portland | 1990–91 | 82 | 63 | 19 | .768 | 1st in Pacific | 16 | 9 | 7 | .563 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Portland | 1991–92 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st in Pacific | 21 | 13 | 8 | .619 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Portland | 1992–93 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 3rd in Pacific | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Portland | 1993–94 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 4th in Pacific | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Golden State | 1995–96 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 6th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Golden State | 1996–97 | 82 | 30 | 52 | .366 | 7th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Sacramento | 1998–99 | 50 | 27 | 23 | .540 | 3rd in Pacific | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Sacramento | 1999–00 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 5th in Pacific | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Sacramento | 2000–01 | 82 | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2nd in Pacific | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | Lost inConf. Semifinals |
| Sacramento | 2001–02 | 82 | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1st in Pacific | 16 | 10 | 6 | .625 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Sacramento | 2002–03 | 82 | 59 | 23 | .720 | 1st in Pacific | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 | Lost inConf. Semifinals |
| Sacramento | 2003–04 | 82 | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2nd in Pacific | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 | Lost inConf. Semifinals |
| Sacramento | 2004–05 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2nd in Pacific | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Sacramento | 2005–06 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 4th in Pacific | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Houston | 2007–08 | 82 | 55 | 27 | .671 | 3rd in Southwest | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Houston | 2008–09 | 82 | 53 | 29 | .654 | 2nd in Southwest | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost inConf. Semifinals |
| Houston | 2009–10 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 3rd in Southwest | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Houston | 2010–11 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 5th in Southwest | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Minnesota | 2011–12 | 66 | 26 | 40 | .394 | 5th in Northwest | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Minnesota | 2012–13 | 82 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 5th in Northwest | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Minnesota | 2013–14 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Northwest | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 1,791 | 1,042 | 749 | .582 | 157 | 79 | 78 | .503 | |||
The year after retirement in 2014, Adelman and his wife Mary Kay settled in Portland to be with their family, which includes six children and eleven grandchildren.
Adelman's eldest daughter, Kathy Adelman-Naro, is a high school basketball coach in Portland.[15] His eldest son, R.J., was a lawyer who held various team front office roles in the NBA before he died in an auto-pedestrian accident in 2018, aged 44.[16] Another son,David Adelman, is the head coach of theDenver Nuggets.[17]