Bob McAdoo

Robert McAdoo
Robert McAdoo
Born	Robert Allen McAdoo Jr.; September 25, 1951 (age 75); Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Professional basketball player, coach
Years active	1972–1985 (player), post-1985 (coach)
Known for	NBA MVP (1975), 2× NBA champion, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee

Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is a retired American professional basketball athlete and coach. Over the course of 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he earned five NBA All-Star nods and secured the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) title in 1975. McAdoo captured two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their iconic 1980s Showtime period. His career achievements led to his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, and he was honored as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Primarily positioned as a center, McAdoo's professional playing span extended over 21 years, including 14 seasons in the NBA and seven years competing in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A. He is distinguished among a select group of players who have won both NBA titles and the FIBA European Champions Cup. Following his playing days, he contributed to three further NBA championships as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat in 2006, 2012, and 2013.

Early life

McAdoo grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. His mother, Vandalia, served as a teacher at his elementary school, while his father, Robert, worked as a custodian at North Carolina A&T University. At Ben L. Smith High School, McAdoo was active not only in basketball but also participated in track and played saxophone in the marching band.

During his senior year, he led Ben L. Smith to the state basketball semifinals and claimed the state title in the high jump, setting a new record at 6 feet 7.75 inches—surpassing future teammate Bobby Jones.

College career

Due to insufficient academic credentials for Division I institutions initially, McAdoo enrolled at Vincennes University, a junior college, from 1969 through 1971. Vincennes secured the NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1970, with McAdoo contributing 27 points in the championship game. He earned Junior College All-American status in 1971.

At Vincennes, he averaged 19.3 points and 10 rebounds during the 1969–70 season and improved to 25.0 points with 11.0 rebounds in the following year. Additionally, McAdoo represented Team USA at the 1971 Pan American Games, where he averaged 11.0 points per contest.

Following contact initiated by his mother, Coach Dean Smith of North Carolina recruited McAdoo. He joined UNC in 1971 as Smith’s sole junior college recruit. Teaming up with Bobby Jones, McAdoo helped lead the Tar Heels to a 26–5 record and an appearance in the Final Four of the 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament. He posted averages of 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds and received first-team All-American recognition along with being named MVP of the ACC tournament.

Citing family financial difficulties, McAdoo applied for early entry into the 1972 NBA draft under the "hardship" exemption. Coach Smith supported his decision to turn professional despite some reservations expressed by McAdoo’s mother.

1972 ABA and NBA drafts

McAdoo gained early eligibility for the 1972 NBA draft. There were speculations that he had inked a deal with the Virginia Squires of the competing American Basketball Association following a confidential ABA draft, though no contract surfaced and McAdoo denied these claims. NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy is said to have cautioned teams against selecting him. Ultimately, McAdoo was confirmed as the top pick in the 1972 ABA draft.

Buffalo Braves (1972–1976)

Despite initial uncertainties, McAdoo was chosen second overall by the Buffalo Braves after negotiations with the Portland Trail Blazers collapsed. He signed with Buffalo and swiftly established himself as one of the NBA’s premier talents, capturing the 1973 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and securing three straight NBA scoring titles starting in his sophomore season.

Discontented with Buffalo’s struggles during his rookie campaign, McAdoo propelled the team to its inaugural playoff berth in 1973–74, posting averages of 30.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game—a performance unmatched since. He also led the league in shooting efficiency at 54.7% from the field and earned his first of five All-Star nods.

In the 1974–75 season, McAdoo earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, averaging 34.5 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.12 blocks per contest while shooting above 50% from the field and 80% from the charity stripe. He topped fan voting for the All-Star Game and retains the distinction as the youngest player to record a 50-point/20-rebound game. That year, Buffalo improved to a 49–33 record but succumbed in a seven-game first-round playoff series.

During the 1976 NBA Playoffs, McAdoo’s efforts helped Buffalo progress beyond the opening round, averaging 30.3 points and 18.7 rebounds; however, they were ousted by the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics, in the subsequent round.

On December 7, 1976, McAdoo set a personal best with 29 rebounds alongside 42 points in a defeat against the Indiana Pacers. Two days later, he was traded to the New York Knicks along with Tom McMillen in exchange for John Gianelli and cash considerations.

Standing at , McAdoo’s contemporary style blended perimeter shooting with classic big-man abilities, establishing him as an offensive force. Over 334 games with Buffalo, he averaged 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game.

New York Knicks (1976–1979)

In his first season with the Knicks during 1976–77, McAdoo posted averages of 26.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals across 52 games under Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman. The team finished with a 40–42 record and missed postseason play. His teammates included future Hall of Famers such as Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Spencer Haywood, Bill Bradley, and Phil Jackson.

The following season (1977–78), under new head coach Willis Reed, New York improved to a 43–39 record. McAdoo appeared in 79 games averaging 26.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. The Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 2–0 in their playoff series but were swept themselves by Julius Erving’s Philadelphia 76ers in four games during the Eastern Conference semifinals. Notably, McAdoo delivered strong postseason performances including a playoff average of 34.0 points and nine rebounds against Cleveland.

In the 1978–79 campaign, after dismissing Reed and reinstating Holzman midseason, McAdoo scored a career-high of 45 points in a loss versus the Los Angeles Lakers. After participating in 40 games with averages of 26.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest, he was traded on February 12, 1979, to the Boston Celtics for Tom Barker plus three first-round draft picks that were subsequently used to select Bill Cartwright, Larry Demic, and Sly Williams. Across his tenure with New York spanning 171 games, McAdoo averaged 26.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Boston Celtics (1979)

During his tenure as player/coach Dave Cowens led the team, McAdoo posted averages of 20.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. The Celtics ended the season with a 29–53 record, featuring a frontcourt that included Cowens, Cedric Maxwell, Marvin Barnes, and Rick Robey.

After that season, Boston replaced Cowens with Coach Bill Fitch and brought in future legend Larry Bird. On September 6, 1979, McAdoo was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for the first overall draft pick (used to select Joe Barry Carroll) and a first-round pick (used to draft Rickey Brown). This transaction compensated Boston for signing veteran free agent M.L. Carr. The number one pick was later dealt to the Golden State Warriors, while Boston secured the #3 overall pick (used to draft Hall of Famer Kevin McHale) along with center Robert Parish.

Detroit Pistons (1979–1981)

McAdoo joined the Detroit Pistons for the 1979–80 season, during which the team finished with a 16–66 record under coaches Dick Vitale and Richie Adubato. Playing alongside Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, he averaged 21.1 points and 8.1 rebounds across 58 games.

On February 19, 1981, following an injury, McAdoo requested to return to the starting lineup, but coach Scotty Robertson declined due to concerns about his lack of practice and conditioning. Subsequently, GM Jack McCloskey informed him he would not be returning for the remainder of the season. After participating in only six games that year, McAdoo was waived on March 11, 1981. The Pistons concluded the season with a 21–61 record.

New Jersey Nets (1981)

McAdoo signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets on March 13, 1981. He appeared in ten games, averaging around 15 minutes per contest while the Nets finished the season at 24–58.

Los Angeles Lakers (1981–1985)

On December 24, 1981, McAdoo was traded from the Nets to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 1983 draft. The Lakers acquired him to fill the gap left by the injured Mitch Kupchak. Despite recovering from offseason bone spur surgery and facing doubts about his career longevity, McAdoo joined Los Angeles on Christmas Eve.

He concluded his NBA journey with the Lakers, earning two NBA championships in 1982 and 1985 as a vital reserve on Showtime-era squads featuring Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. Although he was initially frustrated by a bench role behind players like Jim Brewer and Kurt Rambis, McAdoo embraced his position to help secure titles.

In the 1981–82 season under new head coach Pat Riley, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds over 41 regular-season games. His performance peaked during the 1982 NBA Finals, where he averaged 16.3 points as the Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to claim the championship.

McAdoo chose to re-sign with Los Angeles for the 1982–83 campaign despite receiving a more lucrative offer from the Philadelphia 76ers. He posted averages of 15.0 points in 1982-83 and 13.1 points in 1983–84 while helping lead the Lakers to records of 58–24 and 54–28 respectively. Even while battling a significant hamstring injury during the 1983 playoffs, his absence due to injury was cited by coach Riley as a contributing factor in their Finals defeat.

During the 1984 NBA Finals, McAdoo contributed averages of 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as Los Angeles fell to the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.

He played an important role in securing another Lakers title in the 1984–85 season, averaging 8.2 points and three rebounds in the Finals and posting an overall playoff average of 11.4 points as Los Angeles once again bested Boston. Following that championship run, however, the Lakers opted not to renew his contract, instead signing veteran sixth man Maurice Lucas.

Reflecting on his stint with Los Angeles, McAdoo regarded it as a valuable opportunity to play alongside Kareem and Magic while finally achieving championship success. Although he initially anticipated starting duties, he accepted his reserve role without conflict, prioritizing team accomplishments over personal recognition.

Philadelphia 76ers (1986)

On January 31, 1986, McAdoo joined the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent. He wrapped up his NBA career by appearing in 29 games during the 1985–86 season, posting an average of 10.1 points while playing alongside Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Charles Barkley. During the 76ers’ two playoff series, McAdoo maintained an average of 10.8 points per game. In his final NBA appearance, he contributed 7 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes during a narrow 113-112 Game 7 loss in the semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

NBA career totals

Throughout his NBA tenure, McAdoo accumulated a total of 18,787 points across 852 games, with averages of 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.0 steals per contest. His professional journey included playing for the Buffalo Braves (1972–1976), New York Knicks (1976–1979), Boston Celtics (1979), Detroit Pistons (1979–1980), New Jersey Nets (1980–1981), Los Angeles Lakers (1981–1985), and finally the Philadelphia 76ers (1986).

Italian League (1987–1992)

Following his NBA career, McAdoo competed in Italy with Olimpia Milano from the 1986–87 through the 1989–90 seasons, becoming recognized as one of Europe’s premier American players. He guided Milano to back-to-back FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) championships in 1986–87 and 1987–88, earning the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award in 1988. His achievements also include winning the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 1987, two Italian League titles (1987 and 1989), and the Italian Cup in 1987.

Subsequently, McAdoo played for Italian teams Filanto Forlì (1990–92) and Teamsystem Fabriano (1992), retiring at age 41 after participating in only two games during his final season. Over seven seasons in the Italian League totaling 201 games, he averaged an impressive 27.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. In three EuroLeague campaigns with Olimpia Milano, his scoring averages were 21.8 points in 1986–87, a peak of 29.1 in 1987–88, and 25.5 in 1989–90—yielding an overall EuroLeague average of 25.8 points per game.

Coaching/scouting career

Starting in 1995, McAdoo dedicated a quarter-century to the Miami Heat, serving as an assistant coach for nineteen seasons under Pat Riley (1995–2003, 2005–2008), Stan Van Gundy (2003–2005), and Erik Spoelstra (2008–2013). During this period, he contributed to three NBA championship victories. More recently, he has taken on roles as a scout and community liaison within the organization.

McAdoo’s association with the Heat began when Pat Riley—his former coach from Los Angeles Lakers—left the New York Knicks to assume head coach and general manager responsibilities in Miami in 1995 and promptly brought McAdoo onto his coaching staff.

Personal life

McAdoo’s first wife, Charlina, succumbed to cancer in 1991. The couple had four children: sons Robert III and Russell and daughter Rita reside in New Jersey; another son, Ross, lives in Alaska.

He currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife Patrizia, whom he met during his professional basketball career in Italy. They have two children: daughter Rasheeda, a professional tennis player who graduated from Georgia Tech and competed at the NCAA Singles Championship in 2017; and son Ryan, who plays basketball for the University of North Carolina.

In addition to his playing career, McAdoo participated in the Basketball Without Borders initiative in Singapore in 2010 to promote social development through sports. He was also involved with the program in Beijing (2009) and took part in the NBA Legends Tour to South Africa (1993). Furthermore, he served as a basketball technical adviser on the set of the 1993 film "The Air Up There".

In 2012, McAdoo underwent treatment for a blood clot located in his leg.

His second cousin Ronnie McAdoo is father to James Michael McAdoo, a professional basketball player who formerly competed for the Tar Heels. Additionally, former NFL athlete Ephraim Salaam is McAdoo’s nephew.

Honors

McAdoo gained induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
In 1995, he was honored by the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, where he still holds Braves/Clippers franchise records for average minutes (40.1), field goals made (11.1), and field goal attempts per game (22.1).
His achievements led to his enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
The College Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed him as an inductee in 2006.
He was recognized as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008.
McAdoo was added to the Olimpia Milano Hall of Fame in 2013.
In 2016, Ben L. Smith High School dedicated its gymnasium in his honor.
The University of North Carolina paid tribute to him in 2019 by displaying a banner for UNC alumni inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
He is also a member of the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2021, McAdoo was selected for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 80 || — || 32.0 || .452 || — || .774 || 9.1 || 1.7 || — || — || 18.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 74 || — || 43.0 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| .547* || — || .793 || 15.1 || 2.3 || 1.2 || 3.3 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| 30.6* |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 82 || — ||style="background:#cfecec;"|43.2* || .512 || — || .805 || 14.1 || 2.2 || 1.1 || 2.1 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| 34.5* |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 78 || — ||style="background:#cfecec;"|42.7*|| .487 || — || .762 || 12.4 || 4.0 || 1.2 || 2.1 || style="background:#cfecec;"|31.1* |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 20 || — || 38.4 || .455 || — || .696 || 13.2 || 3.3 || 0.8 || 1.7 || 23.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 52 || — || 39.1 || .534 || — || .757 || 12.7 || 2.7 || 1.2 || 1.3 || 26.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 79 || —||40.3|| .520|| —|| .727||12.8||3.8||1.3||1.6||26.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 40||—||39.9|| .541|| —|| .651||9.5||3.2|| 1.6||1.2||26.9 |- | style="text-align:left;" |

| style="text-align:left;" |Boston 
|20||—||31.9|| .500|| —|| .670||7.1||2.0||0.6||1.0||20.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" |Detroit 
|58||—||36.2|| .480|| .125|| .730||8.1||3.4||1.3||1.1||21.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" |Detroit 
|6||—||28.0|| .366|| —|| .600||6.8||3.3||1.3||1.2||12.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" |New Jersey 
|10||—||15.3|| .507|| .000|| .810||2.6||1.0||0.9||0.6||9.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | † 
| style="text-align:left;" |L.A.Lakers 
|41||0||18.2||| .458||| .000||| .714|||3..9|||0..8|||0..5|||0..9|||9..6
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" |L.A.Lakers 
|47|||1|||21..7||| .520||| .000||| .730|||5..3|||0..8|||0..9|||0..9|||15..0
|- 
|- class= "sortbottom"

Playoffs

|- |style="text-align:left;"|1974 |style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo |6||||45.2||.478||||.809||13.7||1.5||1.0||2.2||31.7 |- |style="text-align:left;"|1975 |style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo |7||||style="background:#cfecec;"|46.7*||.481||||.740||13.4||1.4||0.9||2.7||style="background:#cfecec;"|37.4* |- |style="text-align:left;"|1976 |style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo |9||||style="background:#cfecec;"|45.1*||.451||||.707||14.2||3.2||0.8||2.0||28.0 |- |style="text-align:left;"|1978 |style="text-align:left;"|New York |6||||39.7||.484||||.600||9.7||3.8||1.2||2.0||23.8 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1982† |style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers |14||||27.7||.564||||.681||6.8||1.6||0.7||1.5||16.7 |- |style="text-align:left;"|1983 |style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers |8||||20.8||.440||.333||.786||5.8||0.6||1.4||1.3||10.9 |- |style="text-align:left;"|1984 |style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers |20||||22.4||.516||.000||.704||5.4||0.6||0.6||1.4||14.0 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1985† |style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers |19||0||20.9||.472||.000||.745||4.5|||0.8|||0.5|||1.4|||11.4 |-

|style="text-align:left;" |1986 
|style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia 
|5 || 0 || 14 . 6 || .556 ||  ||  .875  || 2 . 8 || 0 . 4 || 0 . 8 || 1 . 0 || 10 . 8 
|- class = " sortbottom " 
| style = " text-align:center; " colspan = " 2 " | Career 
| 94 || 0 || 28 . 9 || .491 || .250 || .724 || 7 . 6 || 1 . 4 || 0 . 8 || 1 . 6 || 18 . 3

External links

Bob McAdoo at nba.com (Player)
Bob McAdoo at nba.com (Coach)
Bob McAdoo at legabasket.it
Bob McAdoo at olimpiamilano.com
Buffalo Braves team history book - "Buffalo, Home of the Braves"