On This Day: Jazz Forward Adrian Dantley’s 28 Free Throws Made Ties NBA Record
Jan 4, 2022, 1:21 PM
Adrian Dantley #4 of the Utah Jazz looks on against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1982 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Dantley played for the Jazz from 1979-86. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – On this date in 1984, Utah Jazz forward Adrian Dantley tied an NBA record when he knocked down 28 free throws on his way to 46 points in the Jazz 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets.
Dantley played 15 seasons in the NBA, spending seven of those years in Utah, making six All-Star teams.
📅 On this day in 1984, the @utahjazz's Adrian Dantley tied Wilt Chamberlain's NBA single-game record with 28 FTM in a 116-111 win over the Rockets.
Dantley scored 60.9% of his 46 points from the FT line, the second-highest such percentage in NBA history in a 40-point game. pic.twitter.com/LEkMTL94zp
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 4, 2022
The awkward, herky-jerky style of play Dantley employed gave opponents fits and frequently drew fouls.
The 28 free throws made tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most free throws made in a single game in NBA history. 60.9 percent of Dantley’s points came at the free throw line, also the second-highest percentage in NBA history.
His nine field goals and 28 free throws made in this game led famed Boston Globe sportswriter Bob Ryan to call similar box scores simply “Dantley’s”.
Across 15 seasons, Dantley averaged 24.3 points per game. His 7.2 free throws made per game ranks fifth in NBA history. Dantley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
