Last Updated on April 16, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Here’s detailed information about Rick Adelman:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Richard Leonard Adelman
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: 78 (born June 16, 1946)
  • Hometown: Lynwood, California
  • Height: 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters)
  • Weight: 175 pounds (79 kilograms)
  • Position: Point guard / Shooting guard
  • High School: Pius X High School, Downey, California
  • College: Loyola University of Los Angeles (now Loyola Marymount University) (1964–1968)
  • Draft: 1968, 7th round, 79th overall pick by the San Diego Rockets
  • Teams Played For:
    • San Diego Rockets (1968–1970)
    • Portland Trail Blazers (1970–1973)
    • Chicago Bulls (1973)
    • New Orleans Jazz (1974–1975)
    • Kansas City/Omaha Kings (1975)
  • Head Coaching Career:
    • Portland Trail Blazers (1989–1994)
    • Golden State Warriors (1995–1997)
    • Sacramento Kings (1998–2006)
    • Houston Rockets (2007–2011)
    • Minnesota Timberwolves (2011–2014)
  • Accolades:
    • Hall of Fame:
      • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee: 2021
    • Coaching Career Achievements:
      • NBA Head Coach for 23 seasons: (1988–2014)
      • 1,042 career wins: 8th-most in NBA history at the time of his retirement
      • Win Percentage: .582 (1,042 wins and 749 losses)
      • 2 NBA Finals Appearances: (1990, 1992 with the Portland Trail Blazers)
      • 4 Western Conference Finals Appearances: (1990, 1992 with Portland; 2002 with Sacramento; 2009 with Houston)
      • 11 Playoff Appearances: with the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Houston Rockets
  • Spouse: Mary Kay Adelman
  • Kids: 6 children, including sons R.J. Adelman and David Adelman, both of whom have been involved in basketball coaching.
  • Siblings: Not much is publicly known about his siblings.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Rick Adelman’s player archetype was that of a smart, pass-first lead guard: a floor organizer who balanced setup duties with timely scoring rather than overpowering games with volume shooting. Defensively, he fit best as a positional backcourt defender who relied more on anticipation, competitiveness, and basketball IQ than size or explosiveness. Offensively, his role was to initiate sets, keep the ball moving, create for teammates, and chip in as a secondary scorer when openings appeared, which matches both his point guard designation and steady assist production. Physically, Adelman was a relatively lean guard at roughly 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, so his game was built less on force and more on control, pacing, and feel. Taken together, his play style can be summarized as cerebral, fundamentally sound, and team-oriented: a passing-oriented guard who valued decision-making, tempo, and clean execution.

Notes:

  • Adelman had a modest playing career, primarily as a backup guard before transitioning into coaching.

Fun Facts

  • He took over coaching the Houston Rockets after Jeff Van Gundy wasn’t re-signed. Van Gundy loved that Rockets team but pondered whether it was his time to step aside and let another coach try to help Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and the Rockets reach their potential since he lost two series in a row against the Jazz in the playoffs. Ironically, the Van Gundy successor Rick Adelman didn’t have any interest in using Tracy McGrady once he returned from microfracture knee surgery, and the Rockets’ chances of success were gone anyway.

Sources:

Basketball-Reference — Rick Adelman Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
NBA.com — Rick Adelman | Guard | Portland Trail Blazers
Blazersland.com — Blazers Top 10 Point Guards