Before the Hall of Fame duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone, before the Utah Jazz had a single winning season in its franchise history, there was Adrian Dantley. The 6-foot-5 forward could not be stopped for a few years in the early 1980s.
Dantley arrived in Utah before the 1979-80 season in a trade that would define the franchise's first era. The Jazz parted ways with Spencer Haywood, who was out of the league three seasons later, while Dantley became the best scorer that casual fans have forgotten about.
In seven seasons with Utah, Dantley averaged 29.4 points a game, still the highest scoring average in franchise history. He won two scoring titles in 1981 and 1984.
From 1981 through 1984, he consistently averaged 30 points per game, which led him to make six All-Star teams in seven years for Utah.
His game wasn't built on signature moves and highlight reels. Dantley scored in a sleepy-like way, posting up all game, hitting defenders with a quick first step, and really was the first superstar to utilize "foul-baiting". Dantley led the league in free throws made five times in his career.
On Dec. 5, 1982, he put together the best performance of his career, scoring 57 points against Chicago, shooting 20 of 27 from the field and 17 of 22 from the line.
His impressive scoring run had one major setback. Dantley tore ligaments in his wrist during the 1982-83 season and missed 60 games. In typical Adrian Dantley fashion, he came back the following year and averaged over 30 points a game and was named the NBA's Comeback Player of the Year in 1984.
What eventually cost him his place in enshrined Jazz basketball lore was a rookie power forward named Karl Malone. Utah decided Dantley's presence wasn't compatible with the young and developing Malone, and in 1986, they shipped him off to Detroit.
Dantley remained a productive scorer into his early 30s with two different teams, but never looked like the player who would drop a 30-piece on you while wearing a Jazz uniform.
Dantley finished his 15-year career with over 23,000 points to go along with an Olympic gold medal, a Rookie of the Year award and a spot as one of just four players in the Hall of Fame while playing a majority of their career in Utah.
Even with all the accolades, his recognition rarely spread beyond Utah. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008, more than a decade after his peers.
Dantley still ranks third on the Jazz's all-time scoring list, behind only Malone and Stockton. Before the pick-and-roll defined this franchise, Adrian Dantley simply outscored everybody who tried to guard him. That legacy deserved more than a mere reference.