Today marks a very special day for me. My childhood hero, basketball legend Adrian Dantley, finally had his jersey retired today. Adrian Dantley is almost single-handledly responsible for my obsession with basketball. As a 6-year old kid, I marvelled at his play with the Detroit Pistons. Time after time, he would trick his defender into fouling him just as he would lay up a basket. His workmanlike attitude and famous stoicism didn't garner him much popularity, but I was absolutely addicted to watching this guy play. I dressed as him for Halloween one year even though I'm white, and I would continually regurgitate his statistics to anyone and everyone who would listen. I would play basketball alone for HOURS outside trying to emulate his game, even duplicating his curious free throw routine: dribble, dribble, wipe sweat from brow with left hand, wipe sweat from brow with right hand, dribble, flick the ball, stare and shoot. Basketball became my sport of choice and has remained to this day an enormous source of joy and stress relief.

One of the most traumatic experiences in my childhood occurred when the Pistons traded Dantley to Dallas for Mark Aguirre in February of 1989. I was absolutely gutted, not beliving the rumors I had heard at school. When I returned home and my mom confirmed that he had indeed been traded, I burst into tears, inconsolable. My family took me to the first Pistons/Mavericks game after the trade in Detroit, and my mom and I made a poster of adulation for my lost hero. To be part of the standing ovation he received when he was announced in the starting lineup is something I'll never forget, and the footage I have of it still makes me emotional. Ironically enough, the Pistons won their first chamionship 4 months later, and Adrian would never win that elusive NBA ring. I have continued to love and watch basketball throughout the years and long posted on a Dantley message board lobbying to get his jersey retired by the Utah Jazz.

So today, although it's been 21 years coming, but the Jazz have finally retired Adrian Dantley's jersey. He was very influential in creating a culture of winning in Utah- his final 3 seasons secured the Jazz the first 3 of their 20 consecutive playoff appearances. During his tenure there, he AVERAGED 29.6 PPG and made 6 All-Star appearances, in addition to becoming one of only four players to average 30 PPG or more in 4 consecutive seasons. It's about time he was honored by having his jersey retired. Now it's up to the Hall of Fame to give him his due.

Being in Australia, I was reduced to watching some streaming illegal Chinese channel that was covering the game. But I'll be damned if I wasn't glowing during the frequently interrupted and buffering footage of Dantley's time to shine. Finally, validation for a perennial unsung hero, MY hero and a continued inspiration in my life. Congratulations, Adrian Delano Dantley.

Here are some pictures I have found to commemorate the event, all compliments of Getty Images and found on sports.yahoo.com:

Adrian Dantley speaks



Fellow Jazz legend and friend John Stockton congratulates Adrian



Now an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets, Adrian is congratulated by Nuggets head coach George Karl



Dantley's famous high school coach Morgan Wooten speaks



That's my boy!



Jazz owner Larry Miller finally gets it right



Nuggets stars Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson applaud



Dantley and his family prepare to tug the rope and unveil his jersey hanging in the rafters



Dantley's jersey hangs proudly among those of other Jazz legends. Better late than never!



Dantley's number 4 forever remembered

I love you baby.

I'm so happy that they finally did retire his jersey. I am only sorry you couldn't watch better coverage of it!

Awesome moment, even if it was dubbed in a language we didn't understand, lol.

Hi


congrats!

omg. sweet!

His number 4 should have been retired 10+ years ago.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Absolutely. It's way overdue.

An interview of AD can be found on nba.com now.
[Edited 4/12/07 6:14am]

Moonbeam said:

HE DESERVES IT!!!

DexMSR said:

Moonie, I love your geekery. Whether it's music, basketball or numbers, you make geeking look good.

FunkMistress said:

=

FunkMistress said:

OMG! Just wait till you get to play the PauPaulaAbdulla AbdPaulaAbdull game with him!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I love you, SPaulaAbdulpa!

Moonbeam said:

Absolutely!

Diva said:

Hell yes!

Okay, that Paula Abdul thing is scaring me.

Hey, I'm a fellow Michigander and Pistons fan and I attended many games at the Pontiac Silverdome, which use to be the Pistons homecourt, and saw A.D. play there quite a bit. He was always such a class act on and off the court. I always thought that it was a shame that he was left out when the Pistons finally won their back-to-back championships especially since he was such a huge building block for those championship teams. He was an amazing low post player and could score down low on ANY player in the NBA despite being "only" 6'4". A.D. was very well respected by almost all of his peers. John Salley has said that when he came into the league, A.D. taught him and the other young Pistons how be professional and how to handle their business properly. The young guys on the team called him "Teacher" because of this. I think that it is great that he has a job as an assisstant with the Jazz. Those players will learn alot about basketball and about life if they listen to A.D. I don't think that it is an accident that Nene is having his best year as a pro now that A.D. is coaching there. He is employing some of the same low post moves that we were use to seeing on a nightly basis here in the Detroit area. In my opinion, A.D. was traded because of a rift between him and Isiah Thomas. It had nothing to do with basketball. It is about time he got his jersey number retired. The Pistons should do something to honor him too.

carmand said:

I wholeheartedly agree. So many of those young players (Salley, Rodman, Dumars) looked up to AD and it was a big blow when he was traded. Isiah got too keen on the whole "Captain" role and I don't think he liked AD having a higher scoring average than he did. Plus, Mark Aguirre was his good friend.