Adrian Dantley

Adrian Dantley was one of the most prolific scorers, and one of the greatest undersized forwards, in NBA history. He began his basketball education under the watchful eye of Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland. From there he enrolled at Notre Dame where he was a unanimous First Team All-America selection in 1975 and 1976 and played a key role in the Irish snapping UCLA’s 88-game winning streak in 1974. After graduation, Dantley led the 1976 US Olympic team to gold, when he again led his team in scoring before embarking on a 15-year NBA career. He was a power forward’s worst nightmare, mastering the art of maneuvering around slower defenders, twisting and turning his body on the way to the basket. Smaller defenders were in for a long night as well as Dantley was strong enough to post up players of all shapes and sizes. He led the NBA in scoring twice and averaged better than 30 points per game each season between 1981 and 1984. The six-time NBA All Star finished his career with 23,177 points.