Wes Unseld
A basketball force of nature whose bruising rebounds and pinpoint outlet passes defined an era and powered the Washington Bullets to a championship.
1946–2020 (age 74)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: March 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Wes Unseld wasn't the tallest center, but he was arguably the strongest and most immovable. Drafted second overall in 1968 by the Baltimore Bullets, he delivered one of the greatest rookie seasons in NBA history, winning both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors—a feat matched only by Wilt Chamberlain. His game was built on sheer physicality, bone-rattling screens, and a genius for the outlet pass. Unseld would grab a defensive rebound and, in one fluid motion, fire a baseball-style pass the length of the court to ignite the fast break. This skill made him the engine of the Washington Bullets teams of the 1970s. In 1978, his relentless play earned him Finals MVP as he led the Bullets to their only NBA title. After retiring, he served as a coach and executive for the franchise, his entire professional life intertwined with the team he shaped with his will and his wisdom.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Wes was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Wes Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Wes's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2020Died at 74
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Won both the NBA MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the 1968-69 season, one of only two players to do so.
- Led the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship and was named the Finals MVP.
- Selected as an NBA All-Star five times and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.
- Averaged a double-double for his career with 10.8 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
Did You Know?
He was known for his exceptionally quick and accurate outlet passes, often thrown with one hand.
He played his entire 13-year NBA career for the same franchise, through its moves from Baltimore to Washington.
His son, Wes Unseld Jr., became the head coach of the Washington Wizards in 2021.
He was a two-time college All-American at the University of Louisville.
“The pass is the most important part of the game.”
