NBA Hall of Famer and Washington Wizards legend Wes Unseld dies

Yahoo ^ | June 2, 2020 | Nick Bromberg

[clintonh8r]

Yes, and the slam dunk was an accomplice to its murder.

[zek157]

Was a Sonic fan back in the day. Unseld was legendary.

[dfwgator]

I remember the times where if anyone took a shot from more than 18 feet from the basket, they had better have a damn good reason to do so, or they found themselves riding the bench.

And the value was having point guards, that didn't score, but knew how to find the open man and get the ball to them. Anybody can make 3-pointers with enough practive, but being a good point guard takes real skill that not many players possess.

[Tallguy]

In those days players had widely different heights listed depending on the source. For instance Doctor J was listed at anything from 6’5” to 6’7”. I think the 6’7” listing was from either his UMass or ABA days. I’m 6’5” and there’s no way Dr. J was much taller than me, so I always took the 6’5” as his legitimate height. Today they measure players in their socks, so there is far less deviation unless a player comes into the league as a one-and-done and is still growing.

In checking some other sources I saw that Unseld was often listed at 6’6” at the time. Still not very tall when you are going up against Wilt, Kareem & Artis. But he had great low-post technique and was a great rebounder.

[Deplorable American1776]

Another player from the GLORY DAYS of the NBA past. Prayers to his family.

BULLETS not Wizards...

[Jim Noble]

When I came home from college for spring break in 1969, I had to pass through Penn Station, so I stopped at MSG box office (my Dad was a huge Knicks fan) to see if there was any availability for the playoffs.

I scored 2 second row behind the baseline for the Knicks-Bullets game that very night, and I treated my Dad.

We usually sat in the cheap seats. I could not believe how huge the players were! And how much Wes Unseld sweat landed on us after collisions and rebounds.

RIP Mr. Unseld.

[Psalm 73]

"Was a Sonic fan back in the day."

Would that be the Jack Sikma/Lonnie Shelton Sonics?

Back when Seattle was a nice, conservative, aerospace city.

[zek157]

Of course.

[zek157]

Also Fred Brown and Slick Watts. Good years.

Followed by the demise of professional basketball. Have not watched a game in literally decades.

[eyedigress]

Don’t forget “Downtown Freddie Brown”!

[eyedigress]

Seahawks vs the Washington Bullets was a great series.

The Big “E” vs Jack Sikma.

Dennis Johnson ripping through the defense. Good Times.

[eyedigress]

OOOps!

Supersonics!

Sorry

[zek157]

You mean Super Sonics.

Dennis Johnson was another all time great.

[WASCWatch]

Yep. The shorter guys were listed as being taller and the REALLY tall guys were listed as being shorter.

I saw Mark Eaton in the SLC airport one time. He was listed at 7’4”. I’m 6’3”; I stood next to Mark Eaton, and he was probably closer to 7’6”. He was called “big” at 290#. When you are 7’4”+, you are not big at 290#.

[Major Matt Mason]

This was in Buffalo, so probably not the same game. I went to a number of NBA games back then, until the Braves shuffled out of Buffalo (they are now the Clippers).

[WASCWatch]

Don’t forget John Johnson, the first real point forward in the NBA.

[Major Matt Mason]

I was a kid back then, so all of the players looked huge to me.

[JZelle]

Weren’t they the San Diego Clippers at first, then LA? I think Bill Walton stopped by for a cup of coffee before his injuries flared up again.

[Major Matt Mason]

Yes, they moved from Buffalo to San Diego, then to LA a couple of years after that. John Y. Brown (team owner at the time) is still a hated man in these parts.

[bobby.223]

Nice pick by Burelson in the key, Slick drives the lane, blocked, passes out to Fred on the wing. Shot from 22...GOOOOD! (A little Bob Blackburn there!)