Adrian Dantley
Six-time All-Star and two-time NBA scoring champion for the Utah Jazz.
Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 26, 1955) nicknamed A.D. is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in the NBA. Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, holds two-time All-NBA honours, and is a two-time NBA scoring champion. He finished ninth on the all-time NBA scoring list at the time of his retirement and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He served as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets from 2003 to 2011. He played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Elite Scorer; Small Forward
- Affiliation
- New Orleans Jazz (1979–1986)
- Status
- Retired; Naismith Hall of Fame Inductee (2008)
- Career high scoring average
- 34.0 PPG (1983–84 season)
- Scoring titles won
- 2
- All-star selections with jazz
- 6
Lore & Background
Dantley attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, under Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten. He played college basketball at Notre Dame, where he was a consensus first-team All-American in 1974–75 and 1975–76. He ranks second on Notre Dame's career scoring list with 2,223 points and holds school records for free throws made (615) and attempted (769). As a freshman, he played in Notre Dame's 1974 upset that ended UCLA's 88-game winning streak. He led Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding in 1974–75 and 1975–76, and was the leading scorer on the 1976 US Olympic gold medal team. He declared for the 1976 NBA draft after his junior season and graduated with a degree in economics in August 1978.
Reader's Guide
Dantley was selected sixth overall by the Buffalo Braves in the 1976 NBA draft and won Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.3 points per game. He was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 1977, then to the Los Angeles Lakers later that season. In 1979, the Lakers traded him to the Utah Jazz. With the Jazz, Dantley reached his peak, twice leading the league in scoring (1981 and 1984) and averaging over 30 points per game each season from 1981 to 1984. He scored a career-high 57 points on December 4, 1982. He missed 60 games in 1983 due to a torn wrist ligament. In 1984, he scored 46 points in a playoff game and was named NBA Comeback Player of the Year. He made all six of his All-Star appearances and two All-NBA second-team honors while with the Jazz. On January 4, 1986, he tied Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record for single-game free throws made (28). He was traded to the Detroit Pistons in August 1986. With the Pistons, he played in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. In February 1989, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He played for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1991 and later signed with Italian team Breeze Arese for the 1991–92 season.
Did You Know?
- He led the league in free throws made six times and ranks ninth all-time in that category.
- Dantley previously held the record (shared with Wilt Chamberlain) for most free throws made in a regular-season NBA game with 28; Bam Adebayo broke the record with 36 on March 10, 2026.
- Before each free throw, Dantley followed a routine of four two-handed dribbles and two spins of the ball.
- One of Dantley's legs is significantly shorter than the other, nearly 2 inches, which he compensated for in his low-post play.
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