 Unseld with theWashington Bullets in 1975 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-03-14)March 14, 1946 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | June 2, 2020(2020-06-02) (aged 74) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Seneca (Louisville, Kentucky) |
| College | Louisville (1965–1968) |
| NBA draft | 1968: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Baltimore Bullets |
| Playing career | 1968–1981 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 41 |
| Coaching career | 1987–1994 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1968–1981 | Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets |
Coaching | |
| 1987–1988 | Washington Bullets (assistant) |
| 1988–1994 | Washington Bullets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA playing statistics | |
| Points | 10,624 (10.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 13,769 (14.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,822 (3.9 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA | 202–345 (.369) |
| Record atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Westley Sissel Unseld Sr. (March 14, 1946 – June 2, 2020) was an American professionalbasketball player, coach and executive. He spent his entireNational Basketball Association (NBA) career with theBaltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. Unseld playedcollege basketball for theLouisville Cardinals and was selected with the second overall pick by the Bullets in the1968 NBA draft. Known as "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Oak Tree" because of his immense physical presence, Unseld was named theNBA Most Valuable Player andNBA Rookie of the Year during his rookie season and joinedWilt Chamberlain as the only two players in NBA history to accomplish the feat. He won anNBA championship with the Bullets in1978 and theFinals MVP award to go with it.
After his retirement as a player in 1981,[1] Unseld worked with the Bullets-Wizards organization as a vice president, head coach and general manager.
Unseld was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988 and theNational Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.[2][3] His son,Wes Unseld Jr., is currently an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls.
Unseld was born inLouisville, Kentucky, to Charles and Cornelia Unseld as one of nine children.[4] His father was aprizefighter, construction worker, oilman, andbaseball player for theIndianapolis Clowns.[4]
Unseld starred for theSeneca High School team that wonKentucky state championships in 1963 and 1964. He was recruited by over 100 colleges,[citation needed] and became the first African-American athlete to be offered an athletic scholarship to theUniversity of Kentucky inLexington.[4] Integration leaders in Louisville tried to persuade Unseld to attend the University of Kentucky and stated that "it would be good for Kentucky and theSoutheastern Conference," but Unseld opted to stay in town and attend theUniversity of Louisville, which wasracially integrated.[4][5]
Unseld played center for the school's freshman team and averaged 35.8 points and 23.6 rebounds over 14 games. He lettered for Louisville as a sophomore (1965–66), junior (1966–67), and senior (1967–68), scored 1,686 points (20.6 average) and grabbed 1,551 rebounds (18.9 average) over 82 games.[6] He led theMissouri Valley Conference in rebounding all three years.[7][8]
Unseld earnedNCAA All-American honors in1967 and1968 and led Louisville to a 60–22 record during his collegiate career, making trips to theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) in1966 and theNCAA tournament in1967 and1968. He was a member ofAlpha Phi Alphafraternity.[9]
Unseld was selected as the second overall pick by theBaltimore Bullets in the1968 NBA draft.[10] He was also selected by his hometownKentucky Colonels of theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) in the 1968 ABA draft.[11] Unseld was offered contracts by both teams but opted to sign with the Bullets of the more successful NBA despite them allegedly offering less money.[11] After signing Unseld, Bullets ownerEarl Foreman proclaimed that "this contract represents the most attractive and rewarding contract that has or will be signed by any player in the NBA this year."[11]
In his first regular season game, Unseld recorded eight points and 22 rebounds in a 124–116 Baltimore win over theDetroit Pistons.[12] On October 19, Unseld recorded his first double-double of his career after recording 13 points and 20 rebounds in a 124–121 loss to thePhiladelphia 76ers.[13] On November 22, Unseld recorded 20 points and a career-high 29 rebounds in a 121–110 loss to the 76ers.[14]
As a rookie, Unseld helped lead the Bullets (which had finished in last place in the Eastern division the previous year) to a 57–25 (.695) record and a division title. Unseld averaged 18.2 rebounds per game that year, and joined fellow future Hall of FamerWilt Chamberlain to become the second player ever to win theRookie of the Year Award and theMost Valuable Player Award in the same year.[9] Unseld was also named to theNBA All-Rookie First Team, and also claimed theSporting News MVP that year.[15]
Unseld was one of the best defensive players of his era, and in the1974–75, he led the NBA in rebounding. The following season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage with a .561 percentage.[10]
First with star ball-handlerEarl Monroe and renowned two-way playerGus Johnson, and later with dominant center-turned-power-forwardElvin Hayes and experienced wingBob Dandridge, Unseld played a key role in the Bullets making fourNBA Finals appearances from 1971 to 1979, and won the championship in1978 over theSeattle SuperSonics, in which he was named the Finals MVP. He ended his playing career in March1981,[1] and his No. 41 jersey was retired by the Bullets shortly thereafter.[16]
Famed for his rebounding, bone-jarring picks and ability to ignite a fast break with his crisp, accurate outlet passes, Unseld made up for his lack of height as a center with brute strength and sheer determination. In 984 NBA games – all with the Bullets – Unseld averaged adouble-double in points and rebounds, with averages of 10.8 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. He also averaged 3.9 assists, excellent for a center, in the 36 minutes he played per game. Unseld was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988, and in 1996, he was named as one of the NBA's50 Greatest Players of all time.[17] In 2021, he was named on theNBA 75th Anniversary Team.[18] To commemorate the NBA's 75th AnniversaryThe Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Unseld as the 60th greatest player in NBA history.[19]
After his retirement as a player, Unseld wasn't nearly as successful as a head coach and executive. In 1981, he moved into a front office position as Bullets vice president for six years before being named head coach in 1988.[20] He resigned following the 1994 season with a 202–345 record (.369 win percentage) in the regular season.[21][22] Unseld became the Bullets' general manager in 1996 (they were renamed to the Wizards in 1997) and served in that role for seven years.[23] His team advanced to the playoffs once during his tenure as GM and failed to win a game.[24]
Unseld's wife, Connie, opened Unselds School in 1979. Acoedprivate school located in southwestBaltimore, it has adaycare program,nursery school and akindergarten-to-eighth grade curriculum. Connie and daughter Kimberly served as teachers at the school.[25][26] Unseld worked as an office manager and head basketball coach.
Unseld was the godfather ofUtah Jazz forwardKevin Love, whose fatherStan Love was a former teammate. His sonWes Unseld Jr. served as the head coach of the Wizards from 2021 to 2024.[27]
Unseld died on June 2, 2020, of complications from pneumonia among other physical ailments.[28][29][30]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
Source:[31]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | Baltimore | 82 | — | 36.2 | .476 | — | .605 | 18.2 | 2.6 | — | — | 13.8 |
| 1969–70 | Baltimore | 82* | — | 39.4 | .518 | — | .638 | 16.7 | 3.5 | — | — | 16.2 |
| 1970–71 | Baltimore | 74 | — | 39.2 | .501 | — | .657 | 16.9 | 4.0 | — | — | 14.1 |
| 1971–72 | Baltimore | 76 | — | 41.7 | .498 | — | .629 | 17.6 | 3.7 | — | — | 13.0 |
| 1972–73 | Baltimore | 79 | — | 39.1 | .493 | — | .703 | 15.9 | 4.4 | — | — | 12.5 |
| 1973–74 | Capital | 56 | — | 30.8 | .438 | — | .655 | 9.2 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .3 | 5.9 |
| 1974–75 | Washington | 73 | — | 39.8 | .502 | — | .685 | 14.8* | 4.1 | 1.6 | .9 | 9.2 |
| 1975–76 | Washington | 78 | — | 37.5 | .561* | — | .585 | 13.3 | 5.2 | 1.1 | .8 | 9.6 |
| 1976–77 | Washington | 82 | — | 34.9 | .490 | — | .602 | 10.7 | 4.4 | 1.1 | .5 | 7.8 |
| 1977–78† | Washington | 80 | — | 33.1 | .523 | — | .538 | 11.9 | 4.1 | 1.2 | .6 | 7.6 |
| 1978–79 | Washington | 77 | — | 31.2 | .577 | — | .643 | 10.8 | 4.1 | .9 | .5 | 10.9 |
| 1979–80 | Washington | 82 | — | 36.3 | .513 | .500 | .665 | 13.3 | 4.5 | .8 | .7 | 9.7 |
| 1980–81 | Washington | 63 | — | 32.3 | .524 | .500 | .640 | 10.7 | 2.7 | .8 | .6 | 8.0 |
| Career | 984 | — | 36.4 | .509 | .500 | .633 | 14.0 | 3.9 | 1.1 | .6 | 10.8 | |
| All-Star | 5 | 0 | 15.4 | .500 | — | .600 | 7.2 | 1.2 | .4 | .0 | 6.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Baltimore | 4 | — | 41.3 | .526 | — | .789 | 18.5 | 1.3 | — | — | 18.8 |
| 1970 | Baltimore | 7 | — | 41.3 | .414 | — | .789 | 23.6 | 3.4 | — | — | 10.4 |
| 1971 | Baltimore | 18 | — | 42.2 | .462 | — | .568 | 18.8 | 3.8 | — | — | 13.2 |
| 1972 | Baltimore | 6 | — | 44.3 | .492 | — | .526 | 12.5 | 4.2 | — | — | 12.3 |
| 1973 | Baltimore | 5 | — | 40.2 | .417 | — | .474 | 15.2 | 3.4 | — | — | 9.8 |
| 1974 | Capital | 7 | — | 42.4 | .492 | — | .600 | 12.1 | 3.9 | .6 | .1 | 10.1 |
| 1975 | Washington | 17 | — | 43.2 | .546 | — | .656 | 16.2 | 3.8 | .9 | 1.2 | 10.7 |
| 1976 | Washington | 7 | — | 44.3 | .462 | — | .542 | 12.1 | 4.0 | .9 | .6 | 7.0 |
| 1977 | Washington | 9 | — | 40.9 | .556 | — | .583 | 11.7 | 4.9 | .9 | .7 | 7.4 |
| 1978† | Washington | 18 | — | 37.6 | .530 | — | .587 | 12.0 | 4.4 | .9 | .4 | 9.4 |
| 1979 | Washington | 19 | — | 38.7 | .494 | — | .609 | 13.3 | 3.4 | .9 | .7 | 10.3 |
| 1980 | Washington | 2 | — | 43.5 | .500 | .000 | .667 | 14.0 | 3.5 | .0 | 1.5 | 9.0 |
| Career | 119 | — | 41.1 | .493 | .000 | .608 | 14.9 | 3.8 | .8 | .7 | 10.6 | |
Source:[32]
| 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 | 1987–88 | 55 | 30 | 25 | .545 | 2nd inAtlantic | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost infirst round |
| Washington | 1988–89 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Washington | 1989–90 | 82 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Washington | 1990–91 | 82 | 30 | 52 | .366 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Washington | 1991–92 | 82 | 25 | 57 | .305 | 6th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Washington | 1992–93 | 82 | 22 | 60 | .268 | 7th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Washington | 1993–94 | 82 | 24 | 58 | .293 | 7th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Career | 547 | 202 | 345 | .369 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||
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