The NBA lost a legendary center this morning. The NBA legend and Washington Wizards former player Wes Unseld passed away, according to a statement prepared by his family.
“He was the rock of our family – an extremely devoted patriarch who reveled in being with his wife, children, friends and teammates. He was our hero and loved playing and working around the game of basketball for the cities of Baltimore and Washington D.C., cities he proudly wore on his chest for so many years,” his family noted in the statement.
Unseld was the leader of the successful Washington Wizards team of the 70s, leading them to four NBA Finals. The Bullets won their only title in the history of the franchise with Unseld as their captain in 1978. According to the Wizards.com:
“Unseld’s rookie season is one of the best debut campaigns in the history of the league. He averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game, becoming the fourth player in league history to hit those benchmarks in his rookie season. No player has done it since. That year, his 1,491 total rebounds trailed only Wilt Chamberlain.”
