Adrian Dantley
Teams
Buffalo Braves - 1976-77
Indiana Pacers - 1977
LA Lakers - 1977-79
Utah Jazz - 1979-86
Detroit Pistons - 1986-89
Dallas Mavericks - 1989-90
Milwaukee Bucks - 1991
Playoffs
Appearances - 7 (1978,1979,1984,1985,1987,1988,1991)
Conference Finals - 2 (1987,1988)
NBA Finals - 1 (1988)
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
Rookie of the Year - 1977
All-NBA First Team - 0 (1984)
All-NBA 2nd Team - 2 (1981,1982,1984,1986)
Hall of Fame - 2008
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Points Per Game - #19
Total Points - #34
Field Goal Percentage - #35
League Leads
Total Points (#1-1981,1984, #3-1982,1986)
Points Per Game (#1-1981,1984, #2-1986, #3-1980,1982)
Field Goal Percentage (#4-1980)
Free Throw Percentage (#5-1983)
After an impressive college career at Notre Dame that included ending UCLA's 88-game winning streak, Adrian Dantley was drafted #6 overall by Buffalo in 1976. He led all rookies in scoring that year, putting up 20.3 points per game, and was give the Rookie of the Year award after the season, but in what would become a pattern throughout his career, he was traded after the season, becoming the first ever Rookie of the Year to be traded after his first season.
He started off strong with his new team in Indiana, averaging over 26 points per game over the first couple months of the season, but the Pacers needed a center, so they sent Dantley with Dave Robisch to the LA Lakers, where he played alongside superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. After being slowed by injuries in his second season in LA, he was again traded away, this time to the Utah Jazz.
Dantley would spend 7 seasons in Utah, nearly half of his career, and while he was there he led the league in scoring twice and surpassed 30 points per game 4 times, falling just short of that mark in 1986. He was an All-Star 6 times with Utah, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team twice, both times when he was the league's leading scorer. Despite his huge scoring numbers in Utah, his teams only reached the playoffs twice, losing in the second round both times.
After his relationship with his coach deteriorated beyond repair, he was again traded in 1986, this time moving to Detroit, where he was still a 20 point per game scorer, but as one of many stars on a team with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer. It was there that he saw his deepest playoff runs, reaching the conference Finals twice and the NBA Finals once before he was traded away again midway through the 1988-89 season, which ended in his former team winning their first of two straight championships.
He played just over a season for Dallas after the trade, with his scoring average dropping to the lowest of his career to that point, just 14.7 per game before he broke his leg with 2 months left in the season. After rehabbing, he made a brief comeback with Milwaukee, where he played 10 games late in 1991, averaging just 5.7 points per game before retiring from the NBA for good.
Dantley was a great scorer, and despite being only 6'5", he was known for his post-up game. In fact, when he retired, he had the highest career field goal percentage by a non-center, and he also led the league in free throws made 5 times. He never won a championship and never made a deep playoff run as a team's best player, but his immense scoring and shooting numbers can't be ignored, which is why he is one of the greatest players of all time.
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