Alvan Leigh Adams (born July 19, 1954) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. Adams spent his entire career with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division (NBA), P ...

and retired in 1988 as the second all-time Suns scorer with 13,910 career points.

College career

During 26 games of the 1973–74 season Adams tied an Oklahoma school record with 21 double-doubles for a season by a Sooner (

Garfield Heard Garfield Heard (born May 3, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma and was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the third round of the 1970 NBA draft. He had a ...

, 1969–70 also had 21 in 27 games). That record stood until it was broken by

Blake Griffin Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, when he was named the consen ...

on February 14, 2009. Adams is one of only three players in the history of the University of Oklahoma men's basketball program to score at least 40 points and get 20

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

in a game along with

Wayman Tisdale Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (June 9, 1964 – May 15, 2009) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma,

(61 points, 22 rebounds against Texas–San Antonio in 1983) and Blake Griffin (40 points, 23 rebounds against Texas Tech on February 14, 2009). He is one of only four Sooners to have his college jersey (#33) retired by the OU program (

(#23),

Mookie Blaylock Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock (born March 20, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and the Golden State Warriors. Col ...

(#10) and

Stacey King Ronald Stacey King (born January 29, 1967) is an American sports announcer and retired National Basketball Association (NBA) center who won three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993. King is currently the lead col ...

(#33) are the other three).

Professional career

After playing the close of his college career, Adams was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the fourth pick of the

1975 NBA draft The 1975 NBA draft was the 29th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 29, 1975, before the 1975–76 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players ...

. Adams was a rookie on a Suns team whose

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

included an improbable

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

run that took them all the way to the

1976 NBA Finals The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1975–76 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Weste ...

. In the same year, he was selected to play in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

and won the

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Go ...

as well as being named to the All-NBA Rookie Team. On February 22, 1977, Adams recorded a

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

with 47 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists against the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

. He is one of five players in NBA history (along with

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and ...

and

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played po ...

) to have as many as 46 points and 16 rebounds in a triple-double performance. Adams's jersey number (33) was retired by the Suns, but on the signing of free agent

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who is a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Duke University and is widely consider ...

, Adams granted him permission to wear his familiar No. 33 with the Suns. Adams is the franchise leader in games played, minutes played, rebounds, and steals; second in

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball ...

made and attempted; third in assists; and fourth in blocks. He is currently the Suns Vice President for Facility Management for the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" , Phoenix , 80 , , – , , 33.2 , , .469 , , – , , .735 , , 9.1 , , 5.6 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 19.0 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" , Phoenix , 72 , , – , , 31.6 , , .474 , , – , , .754 , , 9.1 , , 4.5 , , 1.3 , , 1.2 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" , Phoenix , 70 , , – , , 27.3 , , .485 , , – , , .730 , , 8.1 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , 15.5 , - , align="left" , 1978–79 , align="left" , Phoenix , 77 , , – , , 30.7 , , .530 , , – , , .799 , , 9.2 , , 4.7 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 17.8 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" , Phoenix , 75 , , – , , 28.9 , , .531 , , .000 , , .797 , , 8.1 , , 4.3 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 14.9 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" , Phoenix , 75 , , – , , 27.4 , , .526 , , .000 , , .768 , , 7.3 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , 14.9 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" , Phoenix , 79 , , 75 , , 30.3 , , .494 , , .000 , , .781 , , 7.4 , , 4.5 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" , Phoenix , 80 , , 75 , , 30.6 , , .486 , , .333 , , .829 , , 6.9 , , 4.7 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , 14.2 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" , Phoenix , 70 , , 13 , , 20.7 , , .462 , , .000 , , .825 , , 4.6 , , 3.1 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 9.6 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" , Phoenix , 82 , , 69 , , 26.0 , , .520 , , .000 , , .883 , , 6.1 , , 3.8 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 14.7 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" , Phoenix , 78 , , 45 , , 25.7 , , .502 , , .000 , , .783 , , 6.1 , , 4.2 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 10.8 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" , Phoenix , 68 , , 40 , , 24.9 , , .503 , , .000 , , .788 , , 5.0 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .5 , , 11.1 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" , Phoenix , 82 , , 25 , , 20.1 , , .496 , , .500 , , .844 , , 4.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 7.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 988 , , 342 , , 27.5 , , .498 , , .133 , , .788 , , 7.0 , , 4.1 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , 14.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .500 , , – , , – , , 3.0 , , – , , – , , – , , 4.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 19 , , – , , 35.2 , , .452 , , – , , .817 , , 10.1 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , 17.9 , - , align="left" ,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 – ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 2 , , – , , 35.5 , , .455 , , – , , 1.000 , , 8.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 16.0 , - , align="left" ,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 12 , , – , , 31.0 , , .475. , , – , , .710 , , 7.5 , , 4.4 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 12.8 , - , align="left" ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Syst ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 8 , , – , , 31.4 , , .566 , , – , , .895 , , 9.6 , , 5.8 , , .9 , , 1.3 , , 16.1 , - , align="left" ,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 7 , , – , , 31.1 , , .450 , , – , , .714 , , 5.9 , , 3.7 , , .6 , , .1 , , 10.6 , - , align="left" ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 7 , , – , , 33.3 , , .522 , , – , , .786 , , 7.9 , , 3.7 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , 16.9 , - , align="left" ,

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 3 , , – , , 28.0 , , .469 , , – , , .714 , , 6.0 , , 4.7 , , .6 , , 1.7 , , 11.7 , - , align="left" ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 17 , , – , , 18.4 , , .421 , , – , , .679 , , 5.1 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" ,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 3 , , 3 , , 26.3 , , .500 , , – , , .833 , , 5.7 , , 3.7 , , 2.3 , , 0.3 , , 17.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 78 , , – , , 29.3 , , .473 , , – , , .766 , , 7.5 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 13.8

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Alvan 1954 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Kansas Basketball players from Phoenix, Arizona Centers (basketball) Medalists at the 1973 Summer Universiade National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Lawrence, Kansas Universiade gold medalists for the United States Universiade medalists in basketball Utah Stars draft picks