James Michael McAdoo

James Michael McAdoo
James Michael McAdoo
Born	James Michael Ray McAdoo; January 4, 1993 (age 33); Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2014–present
Known for	Two-time NBA champion with Golden State Warriors

James Michael Ray McAdoo (born January 4, 1993) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for Japan's B.League team, the Shimane Susanoo Magic. He competed collegiately with the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was honored twice as a second-team all-conference player in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). McAdoo has secured two NBA championship titles with the Golden State Warriors and has also participated in international competitions such as the EuroCup, Turkey's Basketball Super League (BSL), and the ABA League.

High school career

Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, McAdoo attended Norfolk Christian High School. During his junior year (2009–10), he averaged 22.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, followed by 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior (2010–11). He played a pivotal role in guiding Norfolk Christian to consecutive state championships and was awarded Virginia's Gatorade Player of the Year twice, in 2010 and 2011. Additionally, McAdoo earned first-team recognition from USA Today and third-team honors from Parade All-American, along with co-MVP distinctions at both the McDonald's All-America Game (17 points) and Jordan Brand Classic (26 points, 14 rebounds).

In September 2009, McAdoo committed to the University of North Carolina. After the departure of the Wear twins from UNC, he contemplated graduating early to join the Tar Heels in 2010 but ultimately decided to finish his senior year at Norfolk Christian.

National recruiting services ranked McAdoo among the elite prospects: #4 by Scout.com, #6 in the ESPNU 100, and #8 according to Rivals.com.

College career

During his tenure at UNC, McAdoo appeared in 108 games across three seasons, averaging 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.2 steals per contest. His junior season (2013–14) saw him earn All-ACC second team honors for a second straight year while averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals over 34 games.

On April 3, 2014, McAdoo announced his intention to enter the NBA draft, choosing to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility.

Golden State Warriors (2014–2017)

Undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, McAdoo participated in the 2014 NBA Summer League representing the Golden State Warriors. He signed with Golden State on September 2, 2014, but was waived by October 24. Subsequently, on November 3, he joined the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s NBA Development League affiliate.

McAdoo secured a 10-day contract with Golden State on January 19, 2015, making his NBA debut that evening by contributing 11 points and five rebounds during a dominant 122–79 victory over the Denver Nuggets. After this contract expired on January 29, he returned to Santa Cruz but soon signed a second 10-day deal with Golden State on February 2. Following two additional games back in Santa Cruz, McAdoo inked a contract for the remainder of the 2014–15 NBA season on February 19. Throughout this period, he was assigned multiple times to Santa Cruz and earned selections to both the NBA D-League All-Rookie first team and All-NBA D-League second team. He celebrated winning a D-League title with Santa Cruz as well as an NBA championship with Golden State; during the 2015 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he saw limited playing time.

Retaining his place on Golden State’s roster for the 2015–16 campaign, McAdoo missed January and February due to a sprained left toe. On March 21, he made his inaugural NBA start, recording seven points and six rebounds in a narrow 109–104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors advanced to the 2016 NBA Finals, ultimately falling in seven games to Cleveland after holding a commanding 3–1 series lead.

On July 13, 2016, McAdoo re-signed with Golden State. During the following season (2016–17), the Warriors posted an impressive 67-win regular season and reached their third consecutive 2017 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Cavaliers in five games to claim their second title in three years. The team concluded postseason play with an unprecedented 16–1 record—the highest winning percentage ever recorded in NBA playoff history.

Philadelphia 76ers (2017–2018)

On August 30, 2017, McAdoo inked a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, spending the majority of the 2017–18 campaign playing for their NBA G League team, the Delaware 87ers. The 76ers released him on January 15, 2018.

Agua Caliente Clippers (2018)

Following his release, McAdoo was picked up again by the Delaware 87ers on January 25, 2018. However, just one day later, he was traded to the Agua Caliente Clippers in exchange for a 2018 first-round draft selection and the returning player rights to Corey Hawkins.

Auxilium Torino (2018–2019)

McAdoo signed with Italian outfit Auxilium Torino on July 15, 2018, to compete in the 2018–19 LBA season.

Beşiktaş (2019–2020)

On August 1, 2019, McAdoo joined Beşiktaş Sompo Japan, competing in Turkey's top-tier Basketball Super League (BSL).

Partizan (2020)

McAdoo agreed to terms with KK Partizan of the ABA League on January 7, 2020.

Sun Rockers Shibuya (2020–present)

Marking his debut in Asian basketball, McAdoo signed with Japan's Sun Rockers Shibuya of the B.League on July 2, 2020.

National team career

McAdoo played a pivotal role in securing gold for Team USA at the 2009 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship held in Argentina, where he averaged 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. His performance earned him the title of 2009 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. The following year, at the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Germany, he helped capture another gold medal while averaging 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, culminating in his selection to the All-Tournament Team.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| † | align="left" | Golden State | 15 || 0 || 9.1 || .545 || .000 || .560 || 2.5 || .1 || .3 || .6 || 4.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | align="left" | Golden State | 41 || 1 || 6.4 || .536 || .500 || .531 || 1.4 || .4 || .2 || .2 || 2.9 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| † | align="left" | Golden State | 52 || 2 || 8.8 || .530 || .250 || .500 || 1.8 || .3 || .3 || .6 || 2.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | align="left" | Philadelphia | 3 || 0 || 6.0 || .286 || .286 || 1.000 || .7 || .0 || .0 || .3 || 2.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career | 111 || 3 || 7.9 || .528 || .294 || .534 || 1.7 || .3 || .3 || .4 || 3.0

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2015† | align="left" | Golden State | 5 || 0 || 2.0 || .667 || .000 || .000 || .8 || .0 || .0|| .2|| .8 |- | align="left" | 2016 | align="left" | Golden State | 8||0||4.8.500||.000||.250||1.0||.3||.4||.3||.6 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2017† | align="left" | Golden State | 13||0||4.3||.529||.400||.667||1.0||.0||.2||.2||1.8 |- class="sortbottom" | align="center" colspan=2 | Career | 26||0||4.0||.542||.400||.500||1.0||.1||.2||.2||1.3

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011–12 | style="text-align:left;"| North Carolina | 38 || 3 || 15.6 || .434 || .000 || .638 || 3.9 || .3 || .9 || .3 || 6.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012–13 | style="text-align:left;"| North Carolina | 36 || 36 || 30.0 || .445 || .000 || .578 || 7.3 || 1.1 || 1.5 || .4 || 14.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14 | style="text-align:left;"| North Carolina | 34 || 34 || 30.1 || .458 || .000 || .537 || 6.8 || 1.7 || 1.3 || .9 || 14.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career | 108 || 73 || 25.0 || .447 || .000 || .569 || 5.9 || 1.0 || 1.2 || .5 || 11.4

Personal life

McAdoo identifies as an Evangelical Christian, attributing his basketball journey to his belief in Jesus Christ.

His parents, Ronnie and Janet McAdoo, both competed professionally in Europe following their collegiate tenure at Old Dominion, creating a basketball heritage that also includes his sister Kelsey and his second cousin, Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, thereby connecting him to a distinguished sports family.

He was given the name James Michael in honor of his father’s close friends and teammate who died young; during his high school years he went by "James," but adopted his full first name upon enrolling at UNC.

In April 2014, he wed Lauren Elizabeth Adkins, who played volleyball at UNC.

In November 2022, McAdoo partnered with former NBA player Ryan Kelly to launch the Better Blue Podcast, which centers on NCAA topics and highlights their respective alma maters, Duke and UNC.

External links