Bob McAdoo
A scoring machine who redefined the center position with his guard-like grace and jump shot, then became a key piece of the Lakers' Showtime dynasty.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American basketball player·Birthday: September 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob McAdoo arrived in the NBA as a sleek, unstoppable force, a 6'9" big man who played with the finesse of a guard. Drafted second overall by the Buffalo Braves in 1972, he immediately unleashed a scoring barrage, leading the league in points per game for three consecutive seasons and capturing the MVP award in 1975. His game was an anomaly for a center—a silky jumper from the elbow, quick drives, and a hunger for the fast break. After his prime scoring years, his career took a nomadic turn before finding its perfect final act with the Los Angeles Lakers. There, he embraced a crucial reserve role, using his veteran savvy and shooting touch to help Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar secure two championships in the 1980s. His journey from franchise cornerstone to celebrated sixth man cemented his legacy as one of the game's most versatile and adaptable stars.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in 1975 while playing for the Buffalo Braves.
- Led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons from 1974 to 1976.
- Won two NBA championships as a key reserve with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and 1985.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
- Named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Did You Know?
He played professional basketball in Italy for seven seasons after his initial NBA career, becoming a star for Teamsystem Milan.
McAdoo is the only player to have won both NBA MVP and NBA Sixth Man of the Year awards (awarded in 1986).
He was a first-team All-American at the University of North Carolina, but only played one season of varsity basketball before turning pro.
After his playing career, he served as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat for over a decade, winning three more championships.
“I could score from anywhere on the court, and I did.”
