Wes Unseld

** Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.**

Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld (born March 14, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American former basketball center. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Washington Bullets, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.

Early life and college career
Unseld starred on a Seneca High School team that won two state championships. 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. Unseld is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.


NBA years
Unseld was drafted 2nd overall 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 player ever to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season (Wilt Chamberlain being the first). Unseld was also named the Sporting News NBA MVP that year. Unseld was a 5-time NBA all-star in 1969, 1971-73, and 1975. He was one of the best defensive players of that era, and in 1975, he led the NBA in rebounding and blocks per game. The following season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage with a .561 percentage.

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 size (6’7”) with brute strength and sheer determination. He took the Baltimore/Washington Bullets to four NBA finals, and won the championship in 1978 over the Seattle Supersonics, in which Unseld was named the Finals MVP. He ended his playing career at the end of the 1980-1981 season, and his #41 jersey was retired by the Bullets shortly after.

In 1988, Unseld was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 1996, he was named as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of all time.


General manager and coach
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. Unseld became the General Manager of the Washington Wizards in 1996. He was the GM for seven years, with the Wizards reaching the playoffs only once during his tenure.


Post NBA career
Unseld now operates a private school in Baltimore, Maryland, which was started in 1979, by the Unseld family. Wes Unseld's wife, Constance Unseld, and his daughter, Kimberley, are both teachers at the school. The school has an infant and toddlers program and continues to the 8th grade.