Adelman played 67 games with the Chicago Bulls in the 1970s before an illustrious head coaching career.
Tragic news struck the NBA world on Monday evening, as Hall of Fame head coach and former Chicago Bulls point guard Rick Adelman passed away. He was 79 years old.
Adelman spent 23 years as a head coach with the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves from 1989 to 2014. His coaching career followed a stint of seven years as an NBA player.
The Bulls acquired Adelman from Portland in 1973, and he served mostly as Chicago's backup point guard for a season and a half. In 55 games during the 1973-74 season, Adelman averaged 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He then put up 9.5 points, 2.9 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals for 12 games in 1974-75 before the Bulls shipped him off to the New Orleans Jazz, then finished his career with the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.
Unknown date; Cleveland, OH, USA: FILE PHOTO; Cleveland Cavaliers forward John Johnson (32) defends Portland Trailblazers guard Rick Adelman (12) at Cleveland Arena. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-Imagn ImagesAdelman joined the coaching ranks shortly after at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., and was hired as an assistant for the Trail Blazers in 1983. He took over as Portland's head coach during the 1988-89 season.
From 1989 to 1994, Adelman's Blazers compiled a 291-154 record (65.4%). They reached the NBA Finals in Adelman's first and third full seasons at the helm, but came up just short against the juggernaut Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan's Bulls managed to defeat Clyde Drexler's Trail Blazers in six games during the 1991-92 NBA Finals, winning Chicago's first of six championships during the decade.
Following his time in Portland, Adelman coached the Warriors for two years, then spent eight seasons with the Sacramento Kings. He led Sacramento to the postseason every year during his time in Northern California. In 2001-02, the Kings lost in seven games to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Adelman concluded his coaching career in 2014 after four seasons with the Rockets and three with the Timberwolves. His son, David, is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets.
Sep 11, 2021; Springfield, MA, USA; Class of 2021 inductee Rick Adelman speaks alongside presenters Vlade Divac and Jack Sikma during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement at MassMutual Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn ImagesIn 23 years as an NBA head coach, Adelman's teams went 1,042-749, reaching the playoffs 16 times. He has the 10th-most wins in league history and ranks fourth in winning percentage among those who have coached as many games as he did, trailing only Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, Jerry Sloan and George Karl. Adelman is still the winningest coach in Sacramento Kings history and ranks third in Portland's franchise record books.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
