Adrian Dantley

Adrian Dantley is a retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for a number of teams including the Dallas Mavericks. He also spent some time working as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets.

Dantley also has an Olympic gold medal, won at the 1976 Montreal Olympics while representing the United States of America.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Adrian Delano Dantley was born on February 28, 1955, in Washington, D.C. in the United States of America. He stands 196 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 94 kg. He shoots right-handed and he made his mark as a small forward.

His son Cameron Dantley played collegiate football for Syracuse University.

High School and College Career

Dantley attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland. In 1973, he was named Mr. Basketball USA and he was also named a Parade First-team All-American.

Later, he committed to play college basketball for the University of Notre Dame and he was there from 1973 to 1976. In 1975 and 1976, he was named to the Consensus first-team All-American. In 1976, he was also given the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

Professional Career

Dantley was drafted into the NBA during the 1976 NBA Draft, chosen by the Buffalo Braves. He played for the Braves from 1976 to 1977. In 1977, he played for a short time with the Indiana Pacers before eventually playing for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1977 to 1979.

In 1977, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and he was also named to the NBA All-Rookie Team.

From 1976 to 1986, he played for the Utah Jazz. In that time, he was named an NBA All-Star six times. He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team twice. In 1981 and 1984, he was the NBA Scoring Champion. In 1984, he was the NBA Comeback Player of the Year.

From 1986 to 1989, he played for the Detroit Pistons, and from 1989 to 1990, he played for the Dallas Mavericks. In 1991, he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks was the last team he played for in the NBA.

Before retiring from playing, he played from 1991 to 1992 for the Aresium Milano.

Dantley returned to basketball in 2003 and served as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets through to 2011.

Career Highlights

• 1980–1982, 1984–1986 - NBA All-Star
• 1981, 1984 - All-NBA Second Team
• 1984 - NBA Comeback Player of the Year
• 1977 - NBA Rookie of the Year
• 1977 - NBA All-Rookie Team
• 1981, 1984 - NBA scoring champion

• No. 4 retired by the Utah Jazz

• 1976 - Oscar Robertson Trophy
• 1975, 1976 - Consensus first-team All-American
• 1973 - Mr. Basketball USA
• 1973 - First-team Parade All-American

NBA Career Statistics

• Points - 23,177 (24.3 ppg)
• Rebounds - 5,455 (5.7 rpg)
• Assists - 2,830 (3.0 apg)

• Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, 2008

Medal record, Men's basketball, representing the United States

• Gold - 1976 Olympic Games Montreal

Team History:

As a coach:

• 2003–2011 - Denver Nuggets (assistant)