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Player profile · PHO
Alvan Adams
Alvan Adams stats, teams and career impact
#52 all-timeCareer averages · 14.1 PPG · 7.0 RPG · 4.1 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Phoenix Suns
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) · 210 lb (95 kg)
- Born
- July 19, 1954 (72 yrs old)
- College
- Oklahoma
- NBA seasons
- 13 seasons · 1975–76 to 1987–88
Career summaryAlvan Adams was a center who played 13 NBA seasons, from 1975–76 through 1987–88.
- Career PPG
- 14.1
- Career RPG
- 7.0
- Career APG
- 4.1
- #5 in 1980–81
- #52 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Alvan Adams ranks #52 all time
Alvan Adams ranks #52 all time. 4 top-ten finishes give him a sustained run near the top of the league. His full-career value ranks #88, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
4 top-ten finishes
988 games · Career Value Rank #88
NBA honorsAll-Star · ROYContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Alvan Adams with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Alvan Adams vs. Robert Parish Defensive and passing centers
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- Alvan Adams vs. Tom Boerwinkle Defensive and passing centers
- Alvan Adams vs. Marc Gasol Similar career path
- Alvan Adams vs. Blake Griffin Similar career path
- Alvan Adams vs. Rudy Gobert Similar career path
- Alvan Adams vs. Larry Nance Similar career path
- Alvan Adams vs. Artis Gilmore Similar career path
- Alvan Adams vs. Bill Russell Similar career path
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Phoenix Suns
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 49.8%FG%
- Three-point
- 13.3%3P%
- Free throw
- 78.8%FT%
988 career games · 27,203 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Alvan Adams stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1987–88 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 2.2 | -0.30 | PHO | 82 | 25 | 20.1 | 49.6% | 50.0% | 84.4% | #114 | 58.9 |
| 1986–87 | 11.1 | 5.0 | 3.3 | +0.07 | PHO | 68 | 40 | 24.9 | 50.3% | 0.0% | 78.8% | #95 | 74.3 |
| 1985–86 | 10.8 | 6.1 | 4.2 | +1.42 | PHO | 78 | 45 | 25.7 | 50.2% | 0.0% | 78.3% | #55 | 149.8 |
| 1984–85 | 14.7 | 6.1 | 3.8 | +4.50 | PHO | 82 | 69 | 26.0 | 52.0% | — | 88.3% | #7 | 296.5 |
| 1983–84 | 9.6 | 4.6 | 3.1 | +1.48 | PHO | 70 | 13 | 20.7 | 46.2% | 0.0% | 82.5% | #40 | 106.9 |
| 1982–83 | 14.2 | 6.8 | 4.7 | +2.66 | PHO | 80 | 75 | 30.6 | 48.6% | 33.3% | 82.9% | #23 | 241.6 |
| 1981–82 | 15.1 | 7.4 | 4.5 | +4.23 | PHO | 79 | 75 | 30.3 | 49.4% | 0.0% | 78.1% | #11 | 308.8 |
| 1980–81 | 14.9 | 7.3 | 4.6 | +5.34 | PHO | 75 | 0 | 27.4 | 52.6% | — | 76.8% | #5 | 328.8 |
| 1979–80 | 14.9 | 8.1 | 4.3 | +3.67 | PHO | 75 | 0 | 28.9 | 53.1% | 0.0% | 79.7% | #11 | 268.4 |
| 1978–79 | 17.8 | 9.2 | 4.7 | +3.63 | PHO | 77 | 0 | 30.7 | 53.0% | — | 79.9% | #11 | 300.8 |
| 1977–78 | 15.5 | 8.1 | 3.2 | +1.82 | PHO | 70 | 0 | 27.3 | 48.5% | — | 73.0% | #33 | 169.9 |
| 1976–77 | 18.0 | 9.1 | 4.5 | +3.86 | PHO | 72 | 0 | 31.6 | 47.4% | — | 75.4% | #8 | 296.5 |
| 1975–76 | 19.0 | 9.1 | 5.6 | +4.90 | PHO | 80 | 0 | 33.2 | 46.9% | — | 73.5% | #4 | 403.0 |
| Career | 14.1 | 7.0 | 4.1 | — | PHO | 988 | — | 27.5 | 49.8% | 13.3% | 78.8% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
Film evidence
Alvan Adams highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Career origin story
Alvan Adams: draft and Rookie of the Year
This official feature supplies rare footage and first-hand context for Adams's immediate impact as Phoenix's passing and scoring center.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
7.8 composite · lower is better
7.0 average league finish
3,004 total value
Career standing
How Alvan Adams ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score7.8
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 250.0
- Qualified seasons
- 13
- All-time rank
- #52
Strongest seasons
Every season
Alvan Adams advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 33 | 82 | 1,646 | -0.30 | 54.8 | #114 | 58.9 | 57th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 32 | 68 | 1,690 | +0.07 | 63.3 | #95 | 74.3 | 64th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 31 | 78 | 2,005 | +1.42 | 78.7 | #55 | 149.8 | 79th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 30 | 82 | 2,136 | +4.50 | 97.6 | #7 | 296.5 | 93rd | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 29 | 70 | 1,452 | +1.48 | 84.3 | #40 | 106.9 | 69th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 28 | 80 | 2,447 | +2.66 | 91.3 | #23 | 241.6 | 90th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 27 | 79 | 2,393 | +4.23 | 96.1 | #11 | 308.8 | 94th | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 26 | 75 | 2,054 | +5.34 | 98.4 | #5 | 328.8 | 96th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 25 | 75 | 2,168 | +3.67 | 95.7 | #11 | 268.4 | 93rd | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 24 | 77 | 2,364 | +3.63 | 95.6 | #11 | 300.8 | 95th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 23 | 70 | 1,914 | +1.82 | 86.4 | #33 | 169.9 | 82nd | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 22 | 72 | 2,278 | +3.86 | 97.1 | #8 | 296.5 | 94th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 21 | 80 | 2,656 | +4.90 | 98.4 | #4 | 403.0 | 99th | Broad |
Career movement
Alvan Adams's career impact by season
Peak +5.34 in 1980–81 · 13 seasons · 27,203 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Alvan AdamsMarc Gasol
| NBA season | Alvan Adams | Marc Gasol |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.9 | 0.3 |
| 2 | 3.9 | 2.3 |
| 3 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| 4 | 3.6 | 3.3 |
| 5 | 3.7 | 4.9 |
| 6 | 5.3 | 3.1 |
| 7 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| 8 | 2.7 | 2.0 |
| 9 | 1.5 | 5.4 |
| 10 | 4.5 | 2.7 |
| 11 | 1.4 | 3.3 |
| 12 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| 13 | -0.3 | 1.2 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Alvan Adams
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
C · All-Time Career #117
Marc Gasol
93career similarity score
88/100 closest-season score · 1980–81 ↔ 2011–12PF · All-Time Career #170Blake Griffin
91career similarity score
88/100 closest-season score · 1980–81 ↔ 2016–17C · All-Time Career #209Rudy Gobert
90career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1980–81 ↔ 2018–19Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →