.jpg) Unseld asWashington Wizards head coach, 2021 | |
| Chicago Bulls | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1975-09-20)September 20, 1975 (age 50) Catonsville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Loyola (Towson, Maryland) |
| College | Johns Hopkins (1994–1997) |
| NBA draft | 1997:undrafted |
| Position | Small forward |
| Coaching career | 2005–present |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 2005–2011 | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
| 2011–2012 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
| 2012–2015 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
| 2015–2021 | Denver Nuggets (assistant) |
| 2021–2024 | Washington Wizards |
| 2024–present | Chicago Bulls (assistant) |
Westley Sissel Unseld Jr. (born September 20, 1975) is an American professionalbasketball coach who is an assistant coach for theChicago Bulls of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son ofBasketball Hall of Fame player, coach, and executiveWes Unseld.
Unseld was born on September 20, 1975, and grew up inCatonsville, Maryland.[1][2][3] At a young age, he developed a close attachment to basketball; his father isBasketball Hall of Fame memberWes Unseld. From the age of five, he was in locker rooms with his father before games, and after drove home with him. As an adult, he remembers "a great family atmosphere in the locker room".[4] He played high school basketball as acenter atLoyola Blakefield inTowson, Maryland.[1] Standing at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), he played as asmall forward during hiscollege basketball career with theJohns Hopkins Blue Jays and graduated in 1997.[5]
Unseld went directly from college to the NBA, starting as a personnel scout for theWashington Wizards, working for his father who was general manager. He had planned to go to graduate school after graduation but decided to give basketball one year to see if he would enjoy it.[6] In his ninth year, after eight years of personnel and advance scouting, he was promoted to assistant coach.[4] Unseld has been given credit for creating Washington's offensive game plan, which led to three consecutive top-ten offensive seasons from 2004 to 2007.[6] He also worked as a scout and assistant coach for theWashington Mystics of theWNBA.[7]
In 2011, Unseld Jr. left the Wizards for theGolden State Warriors after being denied a position as a front-row bench coach.[8]
After one season with the Warriors, Unseld went to the Orlando Magic as an assistant coach in 2012.[9] After a 15–37 start to the 2014–15 season Unseld was fired, along with head coachJacque Vaughn, in February, 2015.[10]
When his lifelong friend,Tim Connelly, became general manager of the Denver Nuggets in 2015, he offered Unseld a job as an assistant coach. In 2016 he was made lead assistant coach.[11] His special assignment had been to manage a defense that had been poor; the Nuggets went from 28th in defense in 2017–18 to 10th in the 2018–19 season.[6] He has been credited with the development ofNikola Jokić,Jamal Murray, andMichael Porter Jr.[12] In 2019, he interviewed for the vacantCleveland Cavaliers head coaching job, but did not get the job.[13] From 2018 until 2021, Denver ranked among the top six in defensive efficiency.[14]
Unseld Jr. signed a four-year contract to become the head coach of theWashington Wizards on July 17, 2021.[15][16] On January 25, 2024, Unseld Jr. was relieved of his coaching duties and moved to a front office position.[17]
On July 13, 2024, Unseld was hired as an assistant coach by theChicago Bulls.[18]
Unseld is married with two children. The family resides inHinsdale, Illinois.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2021–22 | 82 | 35 | 47 | .427 | 4th inSoutheast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Washington | 2022–23 | 82 | 35 | 47 | .427 | 3rd in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Washington | 2023–24 | 43 | 7 | 36 | .163 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 207 | 77 | 130 | .372 | — | — | — | — | |||
Media related toWes Unseld Jr. at Wikimedia Commons