What is Adrian Dantley's Net Worth?
Adrian Dantley is a former professional basketball player who has a net worth of $2.5 million.
Adrian Dantley played for seven different NBA teams from 1976 to 1991. Among his career achievements, he was the NBA scoring champion with the Utah Jazz in 1981 and 1984. In his post-playing career, Dantley served as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets from 2003 to 2011. The Jazz retired his number-four uniform in 2007. Dantley was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame the next year.
Crossing Guard Job
In 2013 Adrian took a one-hour-a-day job as a crossing guard at a local elementary school. He earns $14,685 per year from the job. In a 2019 interview he revealed that he took the job partly to give back to his community, but also for the health insurance benefits.
Early Life and High School
Adrian Dantley was born on February 28, 1955 in Washington, DC. He attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he played basketball under Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten.
Collegiate Career
Dantley went to the University of Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship. He had a sensational collegiate career playing with the Fighting Irish, leading the team in scoring and rebounding in both the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons. Dantley left Notre Dame with a record of 2,223 total points, the second most in school history.
Buffalo Braves
After his junior season at Notre Dame, Dantley declared for the 1976 NBA draft. In the draft, he was selected sixth overall by the Buffalo Braves. Dantley made an immediate impression on the team, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. However, he was traded after the season.
Indiana Pacers
With the Indiana Pacers in the 1977-78 season, Dantley played in 23 games and scored an average of 26.6 points per game before he was traded in December.
Los Angeles Lakers
Dantley finished the 1977-78 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, appearing in 56 games at small forward. With an average of 19.4 points per game, he finished second in team scoring behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Although he was hobbled by injuries in the 1978-79 season, Dantley still managed to play in 60 games and average 17.3 points per game. He also led the league in free throws made, with 541. Dantley was traded prior to the 1979-80 season, which would be a championship season for the Lakers.
Utah Jazz
Dantley reached the pinnacle of his basketball career with the Utah Jazz. In the 1980-81 season, he recorded a career-high average of 30.7 points per game and was the top scorer in the league. Dantley averaged over 30 points per game in each of the subsequent three seasons, and was the top scorer in the league again in 1983-84. In 1984, he recorded his postseason single-game career high of 46 points in a Western Conference Semifinals win over the Phoenix Suns. However, the Jazz lost the series. In the 1984 offseason, Dantley was named the NBA Comeback Player of the Year after having recovered from a wrist injury that sidelined him for much of the 1982-83 season. He finished his seven-season career with the Jazz as a six-time NBA All-Star. In the 1986 offseason, after disputes with head coach Frank Layden over contract negotiations, Dantley was traded by the team.
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Detroit Pistons
In his first season with the Detroit Pistons in 1986-87, Dantley recorded an average of 21.5 points per game in 81 games and 81 starts. The team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where Dantley was knocked unconscious while diving for a loose ball in Game 7. Ultimately, the Boston Celtics won the series. The Pistons made it further in the 1987-88 season, reaching the NBA Finals against Dantley's previous team the Los Angeles Lakers. In a hard-fought seven games, the Lakers won the championship. Although the Pistons would go on to win the NBA championship in 1989, Dantley was not part of the winning team as he had been traded midway through the regular season.
Dallas Mavericks
Dantley finished the 1988-89 season with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 20.3 points in 31 games. In the 1989-90 season, he averaged 14.7 points in 45 games, missing the final two months of the season with a broken leg. After that season, Dantley was released by the Mavericks.
Milwaukee Bucks
In the spring of 1991, Dantley signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks. He played 13 games in total with the team, including the three games the Bucks lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs.
Retirement
After playing for the Italian basketball team Breeze Arese in the 1991-92 season, Dantley retired from professional playing.
Coaching Career
From 2003 to 2011, Dantley served as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. During the 2009-10 season, he briefly filled in as head coach for the ailing George Karl.
Personal Life
In 1981, Dantley married Dinitri McGhee. Together, they have three children named Cameron, Kayla, and Kalani. Cameron previously played as a quarterback for the Syracuse Orange football team.
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