Wes Unseld, NBA Rookie of the Year and MVP in 1969, dies at 74
FILE - In this May 14, 1998, file photo, Washington Wizards general manager Wes Unseld announces the trade of Chris Webber to the Sacramento Kings for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe at the MCI Center in Washington. Unseld, the workmanlike Hall of Fame center who led Washington to its only NBA championship and was chosen one of the 50 greatest players in league history, died Tuesday, June 2, 2020, after a series of health issues, most recently pneumonia. He was 74. (AP Photo/Brian K. Diggs, FIle)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Basketball Hall of Famer Wes Unseld has died at age 74.
Unseld is one of two players in NBA history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season.
He died Tuesday after a series of health issues, most recently pneumonia, according to a statement from his family released by the Washington Wizards.
Unseld was a powerful 6-foot-7, 245-pound center who dominated as a rebounder and led Washington’s team — then known as the Bullets — to the 1978 NBA championship, earning Finals MVP honors.
He was a five-time All-Star who played all 13 of his NBA seasons with the franchise that drafted him in 1968.
