Hall of Fame Center, Wes Unseld, Tragically Passes Away
Wes Unseld was born in Louisville, Kentucky on March 14, 1946. On June 2, 2020, he has passed away at the age of 74.
Career
After winning multiple Kentucky state championships for Seneca High School, Unseld was recruited by over 100 colleges.
Unseld was the first African-American to be offered an athletic scholarship to the University of Kentucky, however, he turned them down and decided to play at the University of Louisville.
On the freshman team, Unseld averaged over 35.8 points and 23.6 rebounds per game.
In each of the next three years, he lead his conference in rebounding, averaging 18.9 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-7 center, Unseld was selected second overall by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1968 NBA draft.
The Bullets who had finished last in their division the previous year, skyrocketed to a 57-25 record with the help of the rookie, Unseld. That year Wes Unseld would become the second player ever to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the MVP in the same year, joining WIlt Chamberlain.
In all 984 of his NBA games, Unseld averaged a double-double, with 10.8 points and 14 rebounds per game.
Unseld finished his career with a championship, a Finals MVP, a Rookie of the Year, a regular-season MVP, and 5 All-Star appearances.
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Unseld was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1988.
Coaching Career
After retiring in 1981, Unseld served as Vice President for 6 years for the Bullets before becoming the head coach in 1988 for 7 years.
In 1995, Unseld became the Bullet’s general manager for 7 years. Although Unseld never had the success in the front office as he did on the court.
Tragic Death
On June 2, 2020, Unseld’s family confirmed his death, after Unseld had battled through pneumonia and some other illnesses.
Nathaniel is a student at the College Preparatory School. His favorite sports to play are Baseball and Basketball. He also enjoys watching Football. He is a sports writer for At the Buzzer.
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