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Bob McAdoo stats, highlights and the legend

Bob Mcadoo: The original NBA stretch big man

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Bob Mcadoo stats, highlights and the legend covers one of the most underrated MVP’s in NBA history. A three-time scoring champ and later an NBA champion, from Vincennes, to North Carolina, Bob Mcadoo’s stats and game were legendary

overview

McAdoo was the original stretch big man in the NBA, four decades before anyone ever heard of the term. If you look at Bob McAdoo and his stats you can see what his impact was on the NBA.

You have to watch him on tape to truly understand who he was and what he could do on a basketball court.

Bob McAdoo stats & honors

 When McAdoo left the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he’d garnered 2nd-team All-American honors and led the Tar Heels to the Final Four. North Carolina head coach, Dean Smith didn’t bring in transfers, McAdoo was the exception to that rule.

He made an immediate impact on the ACC and was the ACC tournament MVP in Greensboro, North Carolina. This was when only the conference champion was invited to participate in the NCAA tournament. McAdoo averaged 19.5 ppg-10.1 reb in his one season at UNC. He would see his stats increase once he became a professional.

He was the 2nd pick in the 1972 NBA draft. The UNC big man was picked 2nd because he couldn’t come to a contract agreement with Portland, the team that held the 1st pick. It was later discovered that he was the first pick in the ABA too.

Bob McAdoo playing for North Carolina at Chapel Hill

NBA Accolades

Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. put up many incredible stat lines during his NBA playing career. He won three scoring titles and played in five NBA all-star games. “Can Doo” was a three time All-NBA selection(2x 1st team) too.

Bob McAdoo is a basketball legend, renowned for his impressive career in the NBA. Here are some of the most significant highlights, awards, and memorable moments of his career:

  • 1973: He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, marking an impressive start to his professional career.
  • 1974-1976: secured the NBA scoring title three consecutive times, demonstrating his prowess on the offensive end of the court.
  • 1975: This year marked a high point in his career as he was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
  • 1974 & 1976: Finished 2nd in MVP voting
  • 1974-1978: selected for the NBA All-Star game five times consecutively, underlining his consistent high-level performance.
  • 1982 & 1985: As part of the Los Angeles Lakers, McAdoo contributed significantly to the team’s victories in the NBA Championships.
  • 1987: After his NBA career, continued to shine in the Italian League, leading Olimpia Milano to a championship win.
  • 2000: inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • Career Statistics: Over his 14-season NBA career, McAdoo scored a total of 18,787 points, He averaged 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game.

He played center and power forward during his career. Much of his offense came off of jump shots. He was a complete offensive weapon that hasn’t been duplicated by anyone since.

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Respect of his peers

He was drafted by the Buffalo Braves, the franchise now known as the L.A Clippers. His impact on the league was immediate. He was named Rookie-of-the-Year and every player on every team knew he was a superstar in the making.

The ex-Tar Heels superstar was a new kind of weapon that hadn’t been seen in the NBA before, a center who was shooting as far back as today’s three point line.

There wouldn’t be a three point line for a few more seasons but it didn’t matter to “Can-Doo” McAdoo. He could spot-up, take the defender off the dribble or he could use his dribble to find his shot.

Just imagine what shooting guards do and that’s what McAdoo was like with the ball. It was a nightmare for opposing centers and power forwards to check him.

What They Said

Bob McAdoo was a star during his brief stint in Chapel Hill.
At Carolina

Dr. Jack Ramsey said of him “Bob McAdoo had the full package, an offensive weapon that I don’t think has ever been equaled in the game”. Magic Johnson called him “unstoppable”.

Today defenders are used to big men stretching the floor. In the 1970’s teams didn’t know what to do against him. They would try things like switching the power forward on him. Usually this wouldn’t work as he would take them into the paint with his turn around jumper. He is the original stretch big, shooting all over the floor.

The Skillset

Bob McAdoo looking to score with the Braves

The hall-of-famer wasn’t just a shooter. He was a shot creator off the dribble too, similar to Dirk Nowitzki. He was also a better rebounder and low post scorer than a player like Dirk was. I’m not comparing the two, just stating facts.

He broke the North Carolina high school record for the high jump, an example of his agility and athleticism.

At his Peak

  • 1973-74: 30.6ppg-15.1rpg-3.3bpg-1.2spg (scoring champ) led league fg% (54.7) 2nd mvp voting
  • 1974-75: 34.5ppg-14.1rpg-2.1bpg-1.1spg (2nd scoring title) 1975 NBA MVP
  • 1975-76: 31.1ppg-12.4rpg-4.0apg-2.1bpg-1.1spg (3rd straight scoring title) 2nd MVP voting.

Scoring Champ

Bob McAdoo's stats garners him the 1975 NBA MVP

McAdoo won his first of three straight scoring titles during the 1973-74 season. His 30.6 points-per-game is an impressive stat in itself but he also led the NBA in field goal percentage that season. Shaquille O’Neal did this in 2000, as did Wilt Chamberlain, nobody else.

McAdoo was the only one out of the three that did this with a majority of his points coming from the perimeter. Round this off with 15.1 rebounds-per-game, 3.3 blocks and over a steal per game too.

He had a 34.5 scoring average during his MVP season of 1975. This was his career high. He finished his NBA career with 18,787 points, a 22.1 career scoring average.

NBA Career

with the Buffalo Braves

Bob McAdoo had a great NBA career that spanned from NBA MVP to important role player off the bench for a championship team. He traveled around the league, playing for a total of eight NBA teams.

After Buffalo, he continued his scoring onslaught in 1977 with the New York Knicks. He then had a cup of coffee with the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and New Jersey Nets.

Winning Rings

Bob Mcadoo stats decreased in his role with the Lakers.

On Christmas Eve 1981, he was traded from the Nets to the Los Angeles Lakers for a 2nd round pick. The Lakers were hoping to tap into some of his greatness from 5 years earlier.

Still only 30-years-old, he knew he still had some good seasons ahead of him as a basketball player.

Coming off the bench for the Lakers, McAdoo wouldn’t be an NBA superstar anymore.

He would have to be a role player on one of the greatest NBA teams of all-time, the showtime Lakers.

In his four seasons with Los Angeles, he played over 20 minutes-per-game and played in the NBA Finals every one of those seasons.

The NBA veteran was a major contributor on two NBA championship teams in 1982 and 1985.

After L.A

After L.A, he went on to play with the Philadelphia 76ers, this was his last season as a basketball player in the NBA.

He would play seven more seasons in Italy before retiring after the 1993 season at 41-years-old.

coaching

He became an assistant coach under Pat Riley with New York in 1995. Riley was the Lakers head coach that brought McAdoo to Los Angeles. When Riley became the Miami Heat’s head coach, McAdoo went with him.

After Riley moved from coaching into the front office, McAdoo remained an assistant coach for the Miami Heat, winning three NBA championships.

He was an assistant for the Miami Heat from 1995-96 to 2013-14. Currently ‘Doo’ is a Heat scout, he’s been one in South Florida since 2014-15 and he has been the team’s community liaison since 2018-19.

With Much Adoo

McAdoo wasn’t at the top of his game as long as some other NBA legends were. This has somewhat left him out of the basketball lexicon of younger fans. He was still a difference maker on one of the greatest teams in NBA history, the Showtime Lakers.

With everything being considered he should be remembered as the archetype of the stretch big man. The fact that he was doing it 35 years before anyone else has hurt him some – in this regard.

I hope that this article on Bob McAdoo, the archetypical NBA stretch big man, sheds light on the player to a younger fanbase unaware of what he could do on a basketball court. If you love basketball, watch a game of his when he was with the Buffalo Braves. If you want to see an exciting performance, watch the 1975 eastern conference semi-finals, game 4, Buffalo Braves vs. Washington Bullets.

NJCAA HOF

McAdoo was part of the inaugural class of the NJCAA hall-of-fame, being inducted on June 24, 2021. The NJCAA stands for the National Junior College Athletic Association. These are two year universities.

He starred at Vincennes University in Indiana. Bob was honored by the induction into the HOF.

McAdoo scored 27 points for the Vincennes Trailblazers in their 1970 NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship Game.

He was there from 1969-71 and scored 1,202 points for the Trailblazers

Vincennes Quotes

“Its an honor to have been selected to the inaugural 2021 National Junior College Hall of Fame Class”, McAdoo said during his acceptance speech. “I’m extremely appreciative of my time at Vincennes and to be recognized with this prestigious award. My time in junior college helped me lay the foundation for my hall-of-fame NBA career. The two years I spent at Vincennes not only helped me mature as a student but also prepared me for the biggest stage of NCAA Division I basketball. I won my first national championship at Vincennes University.”

McAdoo on his NJCAA HOF acceptance
Bob McAdoo at Vincennes.

“During my freshman year, we won the national championship in Hutchinson, Kansas”, McAdoo said. “It was a big deal for me and my teammates because it opened up a world of recruiting opportunities for me and my teammates. It was a big thrill for me because it marked the first time in my life playing in front of a packed arena of that size in Hutchinson. My teammates and I started receiving offers from prestigious Division I university programs, and I personally was invited to try out for the World Games and the Pan American Games where I was selected as a participant.”

On Vincennes
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I provide highly opinionated sports articles. Most of these are featured articles. They will likely differ from the thoughts, stories and ideas, recycled by TV, radio, etc.

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