Introduction
Michael Adams (born January 19, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Adams was born in Hartford, Connecticut. After starring at Boston College, the 5'10" point guard was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 3rd round with the 66th pick of the 1985 NBA Draft. He only averaged 2.2 points during his rookie season, but he would have more success later in his career while playing for other teams. In his second season he played with the Washington Bullets, but Adams had his best season in 1990-1991, when he averaged 26.5 points (including a 54-point game) and 10.5 assists per game while playing for the Denver Nuggets. After that breakout season, he rejoined the Bullets via a trade, during which time he appeared in his only NBA All-Star Game in 1992.
Renowned for his "push shot", Adams retired in 1996 when playing for the Charlotte Hornets with NBA career totals of 9,621 points and 4,209 assists, and remains among the all-time league leaders in three-point field goals made and attempted. Adams had a record 79 consecutive games with a 3-point field goal (from January 28, 1988 to January 23, 1989). The record is now held by Stephen Curry.
Adams has held coaching positions with the International Basketball League's Richmond Rhythm, the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies, the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and the University of Maryland.
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | Sacramento | 18 | 0 | 7.7 | .364 | .000 | .667 | .3 | 1.2 | .5 | .1 | 2.2 |
| 1986–87 | Washington | 63 | 0 | 20.7 | .407 | .275 | .847 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 1.3 | .1 | 7.2 |
| 1987–88 | Denver | 82 | 75 | 33.9 | .449 | .367 | .834 | 2.7 | 6.1 | 2.0 | .2 | 13.9 |
| 1988–89 | Denver | 77 | 77 | 36.2 | .433 | .356 | .819 | 3.7 | 6.4 | 2.2 | .1 | 18.5 |
| 1989–90 | Denver | 79 | 74 | 34.1 | .402 | .366 | .850 | 2.8 | 6.3 | 1.5 | .0 | 15.5 |
| 1990–91 | Denver | 66 | 66 | 35.5 | .394 | .296 | .879 | 3.9 | 10.5 | 2.2 | .1 | 26.5 |
| 1991–92 | Washington | 78 | 78 | 35.8 | .393 | .324 | .869 | 4.0 | 7.6 | 1.9 | .1 | 18.1 |
| 1992–93 | Washington | 70 | 70 | 35.7 | .439 | .321 | .856 | 3.4 | 7.5 | 1.4 | .1 | 14.8 |
| 1993–94 | Washington | 70 | 67 | 33.4 | .408 | .288 | .830 | 2.6 | 6.9 | 1.4 | .1 | 12.1 |
| 1994–95 | Charlotte | 29 | 0 | 15.3 | .453 | .358 | .833 | 1.0 | 3.3 | .8 | .0 | 6.5 |
| 1995–96 | Charlotte | 21 | 3 | 15.7 | .446 | .341 | .743 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 1.0 | .2 | 5.4 |
| Career | 653 | 510 | 31.3 | .415 | .332 | .849 | 2.9 | 6.4 | 1.7 | .1 | 14.7 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–87 | Washington | 3 | – | 27.3 | .320 | .222 | .333 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 2.3 | .0 | 6.3 |
| 1987–88 | Denver | 11 | – | 36.9 | .362 | .315 | .878 | 3.3 | 5.8 | 1.6 | .2 | 13.4 |
| 1988–89 | Denver | 2 | – | 37.5 | .417 | .455 | .875 | 8.5 | 4.5 | 1.5 | .0 | 23.5 |
| 1989–90 | Denver | 3 | – | 35.0 | .382 | .300 | .875 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 1.3 | .0 | 13.0 |
| 1994–95 | Charlotte | 1 | 0 | 11.0 | .400 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 |
| Career | 20 | – | 34.0 | .370 | .327 | .850 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 1.6 | .1 | 12.8 |