Three-time NBA scoring champion and MVP — the most prolific scorer of the mid-1970s.
Robert Allen McAdoo was born in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1951 and attended the University of North Carolina. Buffalo Braves selected him second overall in the 1972 NBA Draft. His 14-season career produced 22.1 points per game, three consecutive scoring titles (1974, 1975, 1976) and the NBA MVP award in 1975. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1973. He was selected to five All-Star games. He was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. He won two NBA championships as a valuable reserve with the Los Angeles Lakers (1982, 1985) alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He averaged 34.5 points per game in 1974-75 — one of the highest single-season averages in NBA history. His combination of size, shooting range and athleticism was genuinely ahead of its time — he was a 6ft 9in center who could step outside and shoot consistently from mid-range in an era when such players simply did not exist. He later played and coached in Italy after his NBA career, winning multiple Italian league titles. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Dominant scoring forward who won NBA MVP in 1975 and led league in scoring three consecutive years
How They Played
Versatile big man with exceptional shooting range, strong post moves, and solid rebounding
Lasting Impact
Hall of Fame player who revolutionized the center position with outside shooting ability
NBA Champion 2x (1982, 1985)
Career Honours
- NBA Champion 2x (1982, 1985)
- NBA MVP (1975)
- Scoring Champion 3x
- Rookie of the Year (1973)
- All-Star 5x
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team