Basketball Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, who played 13 seasons in the NBA, has died after battling pneumonia, his family announced Tuesday. He was 74.
The Baltimore Bullets selected Unseld with the No. 2 pick of the 1968 NBA Draft out of Louisville. He played for the same organization for the entirety of his 13 seasons in the league. The Bullets moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Capital Bullets for the 1973-74 season; then they became the Washington Bullets for the 1974-75 season and later the Washington Wizards.
The Unseld family released a statement on the legendary player through the Washington Wizards.
“It is with profound sadness that we share that our adored husband, father and grandfather Wes Unseld passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by family following lengthy health battles, most recently with pneumonia. 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,” the Unseld family said.