Rick Adelman, a Hall of Fame basketball coach who twice guided the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA finals, died Monday of unknown causes. He was 79.
Adelman had lived in the Portland area since he retired from coaching in 2014, and it was not uncommon to spot him in the stands at a high school or college basketball game around the city, casually soaking in the action.
His professional basketball career started in 1968, when the San Diego Rockets selected him in the seventh round of the NBA draft, and he went on to play nine NBA seasons with five different organizations.
This included a three-year stint with the Blazers, who pried him away from the Rockets in the 1970 expansion draft.
But Adelman rose to fame as a coach, and he spent and he spent 29 seasons patrolling NBA sidelines — including 23 as a head coach — with the Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
He amassed 1,042 career regular-season victories — 10th most in league history — and 157 playoff victories during a professional coaching career that spanned four decades and ended his career as one of the most successful coaches in NBA history.
He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 and received the NBCA Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
“Just an absolute gentleman, a prince of a guy,” said Clyde Drexler, a Hall of Fame player who developed into an All-Star under Adelman in Portland. “I have nothing but respect and admiration for Rick Adelman. He was one of my favorite coaches of all time. And as good of a coach as he was, he was an even better person. Gone too soon.”
Adelman’s coaching career began at Chemeketa Community College in Salem in 1977, when Oregon was basking in the aftermath of the Blazers’ NBA championship. After a six-year run at Chemeketa, Portland coach Jack Ramsay hired Adelman as an assistant with the Blazers in 1983, and he became an NBA lifer.
Adelman served as an assistant for three seasons under Ramsay, spent parts of three more seasons as an assistant under Mike Schuler, then was elevated to interim head coach in 1989 when Schuler was fired. Adelman guided the team to the playoffs that season and earned the job permanently in the offseason, thanks in no small part to his players.
“We spoke highly about him and really tried to talk (the front office) into taking the interim off his nametag and giving him the head job,” said legendary Blazers point guard Terry Porter. “Well, they listened. And the rest of it kind of speaks for itself. He was able to create his system, manage everyone’s personality and get the most out of the group. I think he did a Hell of a job.”
Indeed. Adelman went on to helm one of the most successful and captivating runs in franchise history, guiding the Blazers to the playoffs in all six of his seasons as coach. With a fast, free and fun offense, and a loaded roster that was both athletic and talented, the Blazers won at least 51 games four times under Adelman, including a franchise-record 63 wins during the 1990-91 season.
He led them to the NBA finals twice during their dominant run, winning the Western Conference in 1990 and 1992 with a nucleus that included franchise icons Drexler, Porter, Buck Williams, Jerome Kersey, Kevin Duckworth and Cliff Robinson.
“Rick was one of the most influential figures in franchise history,” the Blazers said in a release. “Rick’s basketball brilliance helped shape multiple eras of Trail Blazers basketball, earning the respect and admiration of the basketball community and cementing his legacy. His thoughtful leadership, integrity, and kindness impacted all those around him on and off the court. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the entire Adelman family, and all those in the world of basketball who were touched by his impact.”
Adelman was a noted tactician and his offenses, in particular, were creative, effective and aesthetically pleasing. But Adelman’s secret sauce, they say, rested in his understated personality and ability to connect with his players.
He wasn’t a rah-rah coach who delivered long motivational speeches or called his players out in the locker room. He was quiet by nature, so when he did speak, his words carried extra meaning.
“He managed to have so much control with so few words,” Williams said. “It was amazing to me. He wasn’t a big speech-giver and he wasn’t the kind of guy who called you into his office to tell you a big story about life. He had a blueprint to follow, he put you in the right position to succeed, and he held you accountable. But he was short on words. You trusted his words; they were incredible. All the players loved his style. He trusted you to do your job and we weren’t always looking over our shoulder at him. He treated you like a man and respected you as a person.”
Drexler, Porter and Williams each said Adelman was unmistakably a “players’ coach.” That was not just because they gravitated to his quiet demeanor. Adelman also empowered his players on the court, giving them a long leash to make mistakes and play with freedom, so long as they remained within the framework of his system.
“He gave you freedom … without stifling you,” Drexler said. “He was a great coach. He defined roles, but he would also put you in position to win. And that’s the main job of a coach; to define roles and put you in position to win. I loved playing for him — we all did. He was a players’ coach and we all loved him.“
After the Blazers suffered back-to-back first-round playoff defeats in 1993 and 1994, support from the front office and ownership waned. The Blazers fired Adelman in 1994 after he compiled a 291-154 record in Portland. Only two coaches have won more games in Portland than Adelman — Ramsay (453-367) and Terry Stotts (402-318) — and both have coached more seasons in Portland than Adelman did.
“From humble beginnings to the Hall of Fame,” Porter said. “He went from Chemeketa to the NBA and he ended his career as one of the greatest to ever coach the Blazers. He had an amazing run.”
Basketball: Chicago Bulls Rick Adelman (12) in action, shot vs Milwaukee Bucks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) and Lucius Allen (42). Chicago, IL 1/12/1974 CREDIT: Heinz Kluetmeier (Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X18326 TK1 )Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima
Adelman took a year off after he departed Portland and then coached two unsuccessful seasons in Golden State before the Warriors fired him in 1997.
He appeared to be at a crossroads, but in 1998 he landed with the Kings and resurrected his coaching career in Sacramento.
The Kings made the playoffs in each of Adelman’s eight seasons, including a thrilling run to the Western Conference Finals in 2002. He remains the only coach to guide the franchise to the playoffs more than once during his tenure.
His teams in Sacramento were beloved for their fast-paced, pass-heavy offenses, which were a breath of fresh air at a time most of the NBA leaned on a more methodical, plodding schemes.
Porter, who after his playing career served as an assistant coach under Adelman on multiple teams, including the Kings, said Adelman has never received enough credit for his adaptability and innovation.
“One of the most impressive things about his coaching style was how he adapted things to fit his players,” Porter said. “He had three different successful teams and the makeup of all three teams were totally different. Long after we did what we did in Portland, Houston won 22 games in a row with Rick. And those teams in Sacramento, at the time, were the best-passing teams in the NBA. What he was doing was innovative and kind of laid the groundwork for what’s going on now. Like, Golden State’s elbow action — Sacramento and Rick’s staff came up with that style way back then.”
The Kings have reached the postseason just once since Adelman left following the 2005-06 season.
“The Sacramento Kings organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Rick Adelman, a beloved coach whose leadership, character, and vision helped define an era of Kings basketball that inspired our city and captivated fans around the world,” the Kings said in a release. “During his eight seasons in Sacramento, he led the team to unprecedented success and helped create some of the most memorable moments in franchise history. For an entire generation of Kings fans, Coach Adelman represented the very best of Sacramento basketball, and he will be remembered for the way he inspired those around him — with humility, integrity, kindness, and an unwavering belief in the power of teamwork. His leadership helped establish a culture that continues to resonate throughout our organization today.”
Adelman went on to coach seven more seasons after he left Sacramento — four with the Rockets and three with the Timberwolves — before retiring in 2014.
He failed to guide a team to the playoffs in each of his final five seasons, but Adelman’s last postseason run in 2009 included a notable series victory — the Rockets defeated the Blazers in six games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Nearly two decades later, Adelman — who played point guard on the original Blazers team — remains one of the most revered figures in franchise history.
“Portland has lost a Hall of Fame coach and a Hall of Fame person,” Williams said. “Rick was special. I think the Portland community is going to miss Rick. He was such a standup guy — and he was Mr. Portland — he lived there for a very long time. I don’t think we’re going to really appreciate his impact on the game and in Portland until 15 or 20 years down the road.”
Before he went into coaching, Adelman played nine seasons with the Rockets, Blazers, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Jazz and Kansas City/Omaha Kings. After Portland acquired him in the expansion draft, Adelman averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 237 games.
His playing career ended in 1975.
Two years later, Adelman was roaming the sidelines at Chemeketa and on his way to a Hall of Fame career. By the time it was over, he had compiled a 1,042-749 regular season record over 23 NBA seasons, finishing with more wins than all but nine coaches.
DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 04: Rick Adelman (2L) is honored with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award during Game Two of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat at Ball Arena on June 04, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Getty Images
Adelman is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Kay, five children and 12 grandchildren. His son, David, is the head coach of the Denver Nuggets and his daughter, Kathy Adelman Naro, was a successful coach at Jesuit High School and Beaverton High School.
Adelman was preceded in death by his son, R.J., a former Rockets assistant who died in 2018.
“Rick’s contributions to our beloved team will never be forgotten,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said via social media.
