Richie Adubato
Adubato as coach of the Liberty | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 23, 1937 Irvington, New Jersey, U.S.[1] |
| Died | November 6, 2025 (aged 87) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Clifford Scott (East Orange, New Jersey) |
| College | William Paterson |
| Coaching career | 1969–2007 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1969–1972 | Upsala College (assistant) |
| 1972–1978 | Upsala College |
| 1978–1979 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) |
| 1979–1980 | Detroit Pistons (interim) |
| 1982–1986 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
| 1986–1989 | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
| 1989–1993 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1993–1994 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant) |
| 1994–1997 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
| 1997 | Orlando Magic (interim) |
| 1999–2004 | New York Liberty |
| 2005–2007 | Washington Mystics |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA | 127–240 (.346) |
| WNBA | 134–116 (.536) |
| Record at Basketball Reference | |
Richard Adam Adubato[2] (November 23, 1937 – November 6, 2025) was an American basketball coach in the National Basketball Association and the Women's National Basketball Association. He served as head coach for three NBA teams, the Detroit Pistons, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Orlando Magic, and two WNBA teams, the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics.
Early life and education
Born in Irvington, New Jersey, Adubato attended Clifford Scott High School, where he played on the school's baseball team, earning three state titles during his time at the school.[3] He earned an athletic scholarship at Upsala College. He ultimately played both baseball and basketball at William Paterson University.[4]
Coaching career
Before his professional coaching career, he was basketball coach at Our Lady of the Valley High School in Orange, New Jersey, and of the Upsala Vikings men's basketball team.[4]
Adubato was promoted from assistant to head coach of the Detroit Pistons on an interim basis upon the dismissal of Dick Vitale on November 8, 1979.[5] His first game at the helm was a 106–98 Pistons win over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Pontiac Silverdome the following night on November 9.[6]
He replaced Brian Hill halfway through the 1996–97 season and guided the Magic to a 21–12 record and made their fourth consecutive playoff appearance. The Magic then nearly upset Pat Riley's Miami Heat in the playoffs with the help of spectacular play from Penny Hardaway, but ultimately lost the series 3–2.
In 1999, Adubato became head coach for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association, making his WNBA debut on June 10, 1999, when he guided the Liberty to an 87–60 victory over the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Rockers. With the Liberty posting impressive attendance figures for the third straight season, Madison Square Garden played host to the first-ever WNBA All-Star Game - a sellout (18,649) - on July 14, 1999. Four Liberty players were selected to the Eastern Conference squad: Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Weatherspoon, Kym Hampton, and Vickie Johnson.
With Adubato at the helm, the Liberty posted an overall mark of 18-14 and won its first Eastern Conference title. After defeating the Charlotte Sting in the first round of the playoffs, the team faced a rematch with the defending WNBA champion Houston Comets. Despite falling short of the title, the series was pushed to a third game when Weatherspoon made the most famous shot in WNBA history—a half-court, buzzer-beating shot that won Game 2 before a stunned Houston squad and Compaq Center crowd.
Under Adubato, the Liberty went to the finals three out of four seasons and won the Eastern Conference regular-season championship three times.
Adubato took over as coach of the Washington Mystics, but left the Mystics on June 1, 2007, reportedly upset over his team's 0–4 start to the season, a number of recent transactions, and his contract status.
During his NBA coaching career, Adubato replaced Dick Vitale as head coach of the Detroit Pistons after 12 games of the 1979–80 season. He later was head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for 264 games between 1989 and 1992.
Adubato later served as the radio color analyst for the Orlando Magic.
Adubato was also an assistant NBA coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic and an NBA scout for the Atlanta Hawks.
Death
Adubato died on November 6, 2025, at the age of 87.[7]
Head coaching record
NBA
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 1979–80 | 70 | 12 | 58 | .171 | 6th in Central | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Dallas | 1989–90 | 71 | 42 | 29 | .592 | 3rd in Midwest | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost in First round |
| Dallas | 1990–91 | 82 | 28 | 54 | .341 | 6th in Midwest | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Dallas | 1991–92 | 82 | 22 | 60 | .268 | 5th in Midwest | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Dallas | 1992–93 | 29 | 2 | 27 | .069 | (fired) | – | – | – | – | – |
| Orlando | 1996–97 | 33 | 21 | 12 | .636 | 3rd in Atlantic | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First round |
| Career | 367 | 127 | 240 | .346 | 8 | 2 | 6 | .250 |
WNBA
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 1999 | 32 | 18 | 14 | .563 | 1st in East | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | Lost in WNBA Finals |
| New York | 2000 | 32 | 20 | 12 | .625 | 1st in East | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 | Lost in WNBA Finals |
| New York | 2001 | 32 | 21 | 11 | .656 | 2nd in East | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | Lost in Conf. Finals |
| New York | 2002 | 32 | 18 | 14 | .563 | 1st in East | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | Lost in WNBA Finals |
| New York | 2003 | 34 | 16 | 18 | .471 | 6th in East | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| New York | 2004 | 16 | 7 | 9 | .438 | (fired) | – | – | – | – | – |
| Washington | 2005 | 34 | 16 | 18 | .471 | 5th in East | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Washington | 2006 | 34 | 18 | 16 | .529 | 4th in East | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in First round |
| Washington | 2007 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | (resigned) | – | – | – | – | – |
| Career | 250 | 134 | 116 | .536 | 29 | 14 | 15 | .483 |
References
- ^ Baum, Barry. "Adubato Is Ladies' Man – After Coaching The Boys, Richie’S Made Smooth Transition To WNBA", New York Post, August 25, 2000. Accessed September 19, 2015. "And in his second season, Adubato has been more than willing to oblige. With Edison-like thoroughness and preparation, the 62-year-old Irvington, N.J. native has guided the Liberty to its second straight Finals berth."
- ^ The Sporting News: 1992-93 Official NBA Register. St. Louis, Missouri: The Sporting News Publishing Co. 1992.
- ^ Rosen, Dan. "Liberty... and justice for Richie? Adubato seeks the title he's been long awaiting", The Record, August 29, 2002. Accessed November 10, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "In fact, the last championship Adubato won came on a baseball diamond as a player when William Paterson captured the New Jersey State Conference title in 1959 after he won three State championships in a row with Clifford Scott High School in East Orange."
- ^ a b "Richie Adubato", The Star-Ledger, August 15, 1999. Accessed November 9, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "East Orange High School: Was an All-State center fielder at the Essex County school. Originally attended Upsala College on a baseball and basketball scholarship. Personal: Born Nov. 23, 1937, in Irvington."
- ^ Goldaper, Sam. "Slumping Pistons Dismiss Vitale as Coach," The New York Times, Friday, November 9, 1979. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Grayson, Brad. "DeVitalized Pistons beat Sixers, 106–98," The Michigan Daily (University of Michigan), Saturday, November 10, 1979. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Former Magic coach, radio analyst Richie Adubato dies at 87". Orlando Sentinel. November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
External links
- NBA career stats as a head coach at Basketball-Reference
- WNBA career stats as a head coach at Basketball-Reference
- WNBA.com biography
- Richie Adubato at IMDb