David Adelman’s Hall of Fame father Rick, dies at 79

The basketball world is mourning today after the passing of Rick Adelman, the Hall of Fame head coach and father of Nuggets head coach David Adelman. He was 79.

The news was announced Monday by the National Basketball Coaches Association, which called Adelman a “legendary Head Coach” and a mentor to generations within the basketball community.

Adelman spent 29 years in the NBA coaching ranks, including 23 as a head coach with the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He retired with 1,042 career victories — 10th-most in league history — and was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

For Nuggets fans, a memorable moment in Adelman’s storied career came before Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Nuggets and Miami Heat at Ball Arena. Rick was presented with the NBCA Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. Standing alongside him on the floor that night was his son David, then an assistant coach on Michael Malone’s staff with the eventual world champion Nuggets. It was a full-circle moment for a basketball family whose legacy now runs deep through the organization.

Before his coaching career, Rick enjoyed eight seasons as an NBA player with the San Diego Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Jazz and Kansas City-Omaha Kings.

Adelman is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Kay; his children Kathy, RJ, Laura, David, Caitlin and Patrick; and twelve grandchildren.

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