The Hoops Loop

Westley “Wes” Unseld displayed one of the most successful rookie seasons in NBA history during the 1968-69 season, so impressive that he is the only rookie in the history of the association besides Wilt Chamberlain to have won both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season.

Wes Unseld was drafted to the Baltimore Bullets as the second overall pick in the 1967-68 draft. Prior to declaring for the draft he had averaged 20.6 points and 18.9 rebounds a game during his 3 year tenure with the Louisville Cardinals. His time at college showcased his innate ability to dominate games in a multifaceted manner, instantly becoming renowned as a 20-20 threat each night.

As soon as Unseld entered the league he became a pioneer for undersized athletes in the NBA, standing at 6’7 feet tall and weighing in at 245 pounds. To the average person this would be considered tall, however, according to Hoops Geek, the average height for NBA centers in the 1968-69 season was 6’10, meaning Unseld had a significant 3 inch height disadvantage during his rookie season.

Despite the obstacle of height, Unseld brought unmatched tenacity each night which resulted in a continuation of form in his rebounding averages from his college playing days as he would average 18.2 rebounds per game during his rookie season. This is the highest average rebounds per game amongst MVP’s not named Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain, a phenomenal achievement at the age of 22.

On top of his incredible rebounding ability, Unseld rounded out his skills by becoming known for his dazzling outlet passes that would almost seamlessly float into the perfect place on the break. The high basketball IQ, incredible displays of athleticism and eyebrow-raising averages ultimately translated to winning basketball as the Baltimore Bullets improved from a 36-46 W/L record to leading the Eastern conference at 57-25 during Unseld’s rookie year.

Thus, by considering the wholistic and clear winning impact that Unseld brought to the Baltimore Bullets, you can begin to understand how the legend won the MVP award despite only averaging 13.8 points per game.

You can watch Unseld’s highlights as shown at the bottom of this page below, this should enable you to begin to grasp and appreciate the art of his play style as it captures the true warrior that Unseld was on the basketball court.

RIP Wes Unseld (14th March, 1940- June 2nd, 2020).