 Wesley with theChicago Bulls in 1969 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1945-01-25)January 25, 1945 Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | March 28, 2024(2024-03-28) (aged 79) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Dunbar (Fort Myers, Florida) |
| College | Kansas (1963–1966) |
| NBA draft | 1966: 1st round, 6th overall pick |
| Selected by theCincinnati Royals | |
| Playing career | 1966–1975 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 13, 20, 44, 31, 28, 21 |
| Career history | |
| 1966–1969 | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1969–1970 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1970–1972 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1972–1973 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1973–1974 | Capital Bullets |
| 1974 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1974–1975 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1975 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,002 (8.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,243 (5.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 385 (0.7 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Walter Ivory Wesley (January 25, 1945 – March 28, 2024) was an American professionalbasketball player in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theKansas Jayhawks.
Wesley grew up inFort Myers, Florida, the son of Leroy and Josie Wesley.[1] He attendedDunbar High School in Fort Myers.
The top university basketball programs weren't yet recruiting African-American players, but Wesley was recruited by programs in the Midwest. Wesley was quoted,"It's not that we weren't capable, or good enough academically. We just weren't recruited. There was a segregated system, and it was tough. Fortunately, I was recruited by several schools out of the midwest and that's where I chose to go."[1]
The 6 ft 11 in (211 cm)center chose to attend theUniversity of Kansas and play for its storied program and became a two-time, unanimous selection,All-American.
In his first varsity season as a sophomore in 1963–64, Wesley averaged 10.5 points per game (ppg) and 5.9 rebounds per game (rpg). In his junior year, he became a dominant center, with a career-best 23.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg for the 17–8 Jayhawks.[2]
In his senior season of 1965–66, Wesley averaged 20.7 ppg and a career-best 9.3 rpg as the Jayhawks won the Big 8 championship and were 23–4 overall. In the postseason, Wesley unwittingly found himself in a position that one day inspired the movieGlory Road.[3] In the 1966 Midwest Regional Finals inLubbock, Texas, the #4-ranked Jayhawks were in a tight game with #2-ranked Texas Western, now theUniversity of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Wesley set a pick andJo Jo White made a 30-foot (9.1 m) shot at the buzzer which seemingly sent the Jayhawks to the Final Four. But then a whistle blew, White was ruled as having stepped out of bounds, Texas Western won in double-overtime[4] and would go on to win the title.[1]
On December 18, 2004, his jersey was retired by the University of Kansas and hangs on a banner inAllen Fieldhouse.[5] The banners display the player's surname over his/her number, but the numbers themselves are reused.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–64 | Kansas | 16 | – | – | .450 | – | .597 | 5.9 | – | – | – | 10.6 |
| 1964–65 | Kansas | 25 | – | – | .496 | – | .576 | 8.8 | – | – | – | 23.5 |
| 1965–66 | Kansas | 27 | – | – | .478 | – | .607 | 9.3 | – | – | – | 20.7 |
| Career | 68 | – | – | .482 | – | .594 | 8.3 | – | – | – | 19.3 | |
Wesley was chosen in the first round (sixth overall) of the1966 NBA draft by theCincinnati Royals.
In his rookie season as a backup center, Wesley played 14 minutes per game, averaging 4.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg.[3] His high-point game was 19 points on March 11, 1967, against theChicago Bulls.[6] During the 1967–68 and 1968–69 seasons, his playing time and stat line remained about the same, although by his third season his scoring had risen to 7.6 ppg, a season in which he played in all 82 games.[3] On December 15, 1967, he scored a then career-best 22 points on December 15, 1967, against theDetroit Pistons.[7]
Prior to his fourth season, 1969–70, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. His playing time rose to 19.5 minutes per game, and career bests of 9.5 ppg and 6.3 rpg.[3]
After that season, Wesley was selected in the 1970 expansion draft by theCleveland Cavaliers for the 1970–71 season, his fifth. Becoming the Cavaliers starting center, Wesley had by far his most productive season. Playing in all 82 games, he averaged career-highs of 17.7 ppg and 8.7 rpg, both of which led the Cavaliers.[3] On December 6, 1970, he exploded for a then career-high 36 points against theNew York Knicks. But that was just a harbinger for what was to come. On February 19, 1971, Wesley scored 50 points against his first team, the Cincinnati Royals.[8] In the 125–109 Cavaliers win, Wesley poured in 20field goals and was 10-for-14 from the free throw line.[8]
In 1971–72, Wesley again played all 82 games, with 12.4 ppg and tying his career-best of 8.7 rpg. In 1972–73, after 12 games with the Cavaliers, he was traded to thePhoenix Suns. For the season overall, he played in 57 games but, now in a backup role, he averaged only 3.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg. After the season, he was traded to theCapital Bullets.[3]
For the next three seasons, he continued as a backup, playing just a few minutes per game, for the Bullets,Philadelphia 76ers,Milwaukee Bucks, and one game during 1975–76, his 10th and final NBA season, for theLos Angeles Lakers.[3]
Wesley averaged 8.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg over the course of his career.[3]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–67 | Cincinnati | 64 | – | 14.2 | .393 | – | .423 | 5.1 | 0.3 | – | – | 4.9 |
| 1967–68 | Cincinnati | 66 | – | 13.9 | .465 | – | .500 | 4.3 | 0.5 | – | – | 6.8 |
| 1968–69 | Cincinnati | 82 | – | 16.3 | .459 | – | .647 | 4.9 | 0.6 | – | – | 7.6 |
| 1969–70 | Chicago | 72 | – | 19.5 | .417 | – | .662 | 6.3 | 0.9 | – | – | 9.5 |
| 1970–71 | Cleveland | 82 | – | 29.6 | .455 | – | .687 | 8.7 | 1.0 | – | – | 17.7 |
| 1971–72 | Cleveland | 82 | – | 26.6 | .410 | – | .674 | 8.7 | 0.9 | – | – | 12.4 |
| 1972–73 | Cleveland | 12 | – | 9.2 | .298 | – | .667 | 3.2 | 0.6 | – | – | 3.0 |
| 1972–73 | Phoenix | 45 | – | 8.1 | .406 | – | .529 | 2.5 | 0.5 | – | – | 3.2 |
| 1973–74 | Capital | 39 | – | 10.3 | .470 | – | .605 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 4.3 |
| 1974–75 | Philadelphia | 4 | – | 8.3 | .556 | – | .500 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| 1974–75 | Milwaukee | 41 | – | 5.2 | .440 | – | .609 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 2.1 |
| 1975–76 | Los Angeles | 1 | – | 7.0 | .500 | – | .500 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Career | 590 | – | 17.5 | .434 | – | .630 | 5.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 8.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–67 | Cincinnati | 3 | – | 7.7 | .200 | – | .000 | 3.0 | 0.0 | – | – | 1.3 |
| 1969–70 | Chicago | 4 | – | 14.8 | .516 | – | .500 | 4.8 | 0.5 | – | – | 9.5 |
| 1973–74 | Capital | 1 | – | 1.0 | .000 | – | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 8 | – | 10.4 | .439 | – | .500 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.3 | |
After retiring from the NBA, Wesley served as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas,Western Michigan University, and at theU.S. Military Academy at West Point.[9]
Wesley's jersey was retired by the University of Kansas and Dunbar High School. He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, Kansas Hall of Fame, University of Kansas Hall Of Fame, National High School Basketball Hall of Fame, Court of Legends, and the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches. He also received theAlpha Phi Alpha fraternity "Jessie Owens Award of Excellence" for athletic and philanthropic accomplishments, awarded at the 104th Anniversary Convention of Alpha Phi Alpha, Las Vegas, Nevada in July 2010.
In October 2018, Wesley was honored as theJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led byWynton Marsalis, was commissioned by the Lied Center of Kansas to create a new work honoring 15 KU Basketball Legends. The movement created for Walt was "Walt's Waltz".
Wesley died ofleukemia at theH. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute inTampa, Florida, on March 28, 2024, at the age of 79.[10]