Wes Unseld

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Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld (born March 14, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American former basketball player and coach in the NBA.

Unseld is a prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

[edit] The Louisville Cardinals years

In 1965, Unseld began playing center for the University of Louisville, where he averaged 35.8 points per game and 23.6 rebounds per game in 14 games with a freshman team. He was a 3-year letter winner, scored 1,686 points in 82 games (20.6 points per game), grabbed 1,551 rebounds (18.9 rebounds per game), led the conference in rebounding in 1966, 1967 and 1968, and led Louisville to a 60-22 record with two trips to the NCAA tournament and one trip to the NIT tournament.

[edit] NBA years

Unseld was drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Bullets in 1968, and helped lead the Bullets (who had finished in last place in the Eastern division the previous year) to a 57-25 record and a division title. Unseld averaged 18.2 rebounds per game that year, and became only the second person ever to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season (Wilt Chamberlain being the first). Unseld was a 5-time NBA all-star 1969, 1971-73,and 1975. In 1975, he led the NBA in rebounding. The following season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage with a .561 percentage.

Famed for his rebounding and bone-jarring picks, Unseld made up for his lack of size (6’6”) with brute strength and sheer determination. He took the Baltimore (and after a move, the Washington) Bullets to four NBA finals, and won the championship in 1978 over the Seattle Supersonics, in which Unseld was named Finals MVP. Unseld played in a frontcourt alongside fellow great Elvin Hayes from 1972 through 1981. He ended his playing career at the end of the 1980-1981 season.

Hired by the Bullets as a vice president after his retirement, Unseld was made coach in 1987. His tenure as coach was nowhere near as successful as his playing career, and he resigned following the 1994 season with a 202-345 record. In 1996, he was named as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of all time.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.

[edit] External links

• Basketball Hall of Fame profile