Brave in Buffalo: The rise of Bob McAdoo

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — 50 years ago the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium was home to Canisius College, as well as the Buffalo Sabres and Braves. It was a hockey town’s arena, which consisted of cold winters and blue-collar crowds. The snow was piled high outside, but on the hardwood inside, Bob McAdoo brought basketball to life.

Under head coach Jack Ramsay, McAdoo helped revolutionize the game. At 6-foot-9, he wasn’t supposed to drift outside and knock down jump shots. Big men were expected to stay in the paint. McAdoo stepped out and stretched defenses, becoming one of the first dominant forwards to consistently score from the perimeter.

He still credits Buffalo for giving him his start in what would be a Hall of Fame career.

“My play and the play of my teammates, we kind of put Buffalo on the map for basketball,” McAdoo said. “That’s where I got my start. That’s where I got my notoriety — in Buffalo.”

In just their third season as a franchise, the Braves drafted McAdoo second overall in the 1972 NBA draft.

“Well, if you go to Portland, it rains all the time,” McAdoo remembers being told. “If you go to Buffalo, you’re going to be in ten feet of snow. Pick your poison.”

Once the six foot nine, 20 year old McAdoo arrived in Buffalo, he had to work for every minute he got on the court.

“I saw what I was doing in training camp and practices,” McAdoo said. “It just didn’t make sense to me because I was the best player on the team — but I wasn’t playing.”

However, in December of his rookie season, his teammate and fellow power forward Bob Kauffman got hurt. McAdoo was the next man up.

“From December to the end of the year I was averaging 33 points per game my rookie year,” he said. “Up to December I wasn’t even in the running for Rookie of the Year. But after that second half of the season where I kind of tore it up, that’s what kind of won it for me.”

He finished his rookie season averaging around 19 points per game, which landed him Rookie of the Year honors. His scoring didn’t stop there. Alongside teammates Randy Smith and Ernie DiGregorio, McAdoo blossomed into an NBA All-Star, averaging around 30 points per game.

Even with his dominant play, the Braves still faced challenges. Even at their home Buffalo Auditorium.

“When we played, we used to play some games in Toronto,” he said. “The Aud — they prioritized the arena for the hockey team and Canisius College.”

That didn’t hinder the success of McAdoo. In 1975, he was voted most valuable player, but says he missed out on the award several times.

“You had to be like supersonic to get it because the people in the bigger markets — they say he’s young, he’s got plenty of time, which is bullcrap,” McAdoo said. “If you got a chance to win it, you win it. Possibly if I hadn’t been in a small market, there’s a possibility I could’ve won it three times. I came in second twice.”

Buffalo was McAdoo’s home for the first five seasons of what would become a Hall of Fame career. During that stretch, he helped bring playoff basketball to the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium for the first time in franchise history.

“The fan base was great,” he recalled. “When we got to the playoffs, they were packed up in there. The city was going crazy because they knew a big-name team was going to come in. We had an exciting type of play. We were the fastest team in the league. Averaged more points than everybody and we were exciting to watch. It was great for the fans.”

After his time in Buffalo came to a close, McAdoo went on to enjoy a successful career in the NBA and overseas, including a championship run with the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers.

He later coached under legends like Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, and Erik Spoelstra.

Today, McAdoo lives in Florida with his wife, Patrizia, and serves as an ambassador for the Miami Heat. His legacy still echoes in Buffalo — where he is honored in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

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Gretchen Beyer is a sports reporter who joined the News 4 team in 2025. See more of her work here.

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