Michael Adams: Undersized NBA Star With A Big Legacy
Learn how Michael Adams defied expectations in the NBA with his quick shot and scoring skills, became an All-Star, and later coached at the college and professional levels.
Jul 25, 202538.9K Shares659.3K Views
Michael Adamswas born on January 19, 1963, in Hartford, Connecticut. He grew up in Hartford and was one of nine children (he was the eighth child in the family). His mother, Grace, worked in the tobacco fields and his father, Oliver, worked night shifts in a factory.
He attended Hartford Public High School in Hartford, Connecticut, where he began playing basketball and became known as a skilled guard even though he was small in size, about 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) and 162 lb (73 kg).
As he grew up, he was often the smallest and last chosen on playground teams, but he kept playing and later became the leading scorer in his state during his senior year at Hartford Public.
Professional Career
After playing well at Boston College, Michael Adams was chosen in the 1985 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings in the third round as the 66th pick. In his first year, he averaged just 2.2 points per game in 18 games.
He then moved to the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), playing for the Bay State Bombardiers (after a short stint with Springfield Fame). He was named CBA Rookie of the Year, made the second all-league team, and was on the all-defensive second team in 1986.
Adams joined the Washington Bullets in 1986–87 as a backup. He averaged 7.2 points and 3.9 assists per game in 63 games.
In 1987, he moved to the Denver Nuggets, where he became a starter. He led the NBA in three-point attempts for four straight seasons from 1987–88 to 1990–91, with numbers like 379, 466, and 503 tries in a year. He was one of the first players to shoot so many long-range shots.
His best NBA season came in 1990–91 with Denver: he averaged 26.5 points, 10.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He is the only player in NBA history to ever average 25‑10‑2 in a single season.
After that standout season, he returned to the Washington Bullets via trade and was selected for his only NBA All-Star Game in 1992. That season, he averaged 18.1 points and 7.6 assists per game.
He later played for the Charlotte Hornets (1994–1996) before retiring from the NBA in 1996.
Over his 11-season NBA career, Adams appeared in 653 regular-season games, with career averages of 14.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. His field goal percentage was 41.5%, 3-point percentage 33.2%, and free-throw percentage 84.9%.
Adams set a record with 79 straight games making a three-point shot from January 28, 1988, to January 23, 1989. That record is now held by Stephen Curry.
Coaching Career
Michael Adams began coaching in 1999 as an assistant coach with the Richmond Rhythm in the International Basketball League.
From 2000 to 2002, he served as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Grizzlies, who became the Memphis Grizzlies during his time there.
In 2004, Adams was named head coach of the Washington Mystics in the WNBA. In that season, the team had a record of 17 wins and 17 losses, and they reached the playoffs, where they won one game and lost two.
From 2005 to 2007, he worked as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland, helping with player development, game plans, and recruiting. He had previously played at Maryland coach Gary Williams’ Boston College team.
In 2009 to 2010, he served as head coach at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C.
He briefly joined St. Bonaventure University as an assistant coach in 2010, but left after six weeks to focus on supporting his son through his final year of high school.
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