Westley S. "Wes" Unseld enshrined as player in 1988

Westley S. "Wes" Unseld

Enshrined 1988
Born: March 14, 1946
Louisville, KY

A bruising 6-foot-7, 245-pound center with an awesome outlet pass and a nose for the ball on offense and defense, Wes Unseld played in a glorious era of NBA centers. Although chronic knee problems troubled him his entire career, Unseld always played a physical game and was considered as equally skilled as his counterparts. Unseld led Louisville to three postseason appearances and in 1969 became only the second NBA player besides Wilt Chamberlain to be named Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. During a solid thirteen-year NBA career spent entirely with the Bullets organization, Unseld became a superb position rebounder and retired as the NBA's seventh all-time leading rebounder with 13,769 boards, a 14.0 per game average. The pinnacle of Unseld's career came in 1978, when he and fellow Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes led Washington past Seattle for the NBA championship. For his efforts, Unseld was named MVP of the championship series.