For Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, it wasn’t easy to hear that Wes Unseld, his former teammate with the Baltimore Bullets, had passed away June 2.
But for Monroe and many others, the friendship they built with Unseld was about more than basketball. The two spent three full seasons together in Baltimore from 1968-1971, but their relationship didn’t end when Monroe was traded to the New York Knicks in November 1971.
A native of Louisville and a graduate of the University of Louisville, Unseld spent his entire 13-year NBA career as a center with the Bullets franchise. He played his first five seasons in Baltimore (1968-1973) before the team moved to Landover, Md.
Despite spending the final eight years of his career outside of Baltimore, the city held a special place in Unseld’s heart long after he retired.
“It’s a wonderful city and it kind of grew on you. The people there were genuine people,” Monroe said on Glenn Clark Radio June 2. “Even myself, I’m still going back there every now and then — four, five times a year because I still have friends there that I see.”
Unseld, along with his wife, Connie, founded Unselds’ School in 1978. The school, located in Southwest Baltimore, continues to help children from pre-K through eighth grade. The Unselds embraced the city, and Monroe knows they took pride in that.
“They were Baltimoreans and that was what it was all about,” Monroe said of Unseld, who eventually made his home in Westminster, Md. “There’s certain people that come to areas and may become engrained in the whole culture of the area and he certainly did that. Never really wanted to leave Baltimore, [and] obviously he didn’t.”
As much of an impact Unseld had off the court, the 1988 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee had a great impact on it as well. Unseld led the Bullets to four NBA Finals appearances (three in D.C., one in Baltimore) and a championship in 1977-78. He was named Finals MVP after averaging 9.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in seven games against the Seattle SuperSonics.
Unseld averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game during his rookie season in 1968-69, becoming the second player in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season. The only other player to do so is Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60).
Unseld helped the Bullets finish in first place in the NBA’s Eastern Division as a rookie in 1968-69, turning around a franchise that finished in last place the previous season.
“Wes was kind of the last part of that puzzle the whole fortune of turning the Baltimore Bullets around,” Monroe said.
Monroe saw something special in Unseld during the center’s rookie season and believes it gave the team some needed confidence.
“Obviously, we played the preseason and we get to see what he could do — his basketball IQ, his acumen for the game,” Monroe said. “But there were a couple games at the beginning of the season that he got a rebound, tipped the ball in and we won a couple of those games that were real, real tight the last minute.”
Scoring was not necessarily Unseld’s biggest strength. Despite averaging 10.8 points during his career he only averaged double digits in six seasons. His strength was rebounding. He averaged 14.0 per game, the sixth-best rate in NBA history. Unseld’s passing ability was rare for a center — he averaged 3.9 assists per game, which would rate in the top five among centers in assists in today’s NBA.
“He was a great passer and he understood the game which made it easy for him to do the things he did,” Monroe said. “Just having a general understanding of … what he needed to do to make it happen.”
Unseld left his mark on far more than basketball, and Monroe considers Unseld to be much more than a teammate.
“I’m just so happy and proud to have played with him and have known him for all these years,” Monroe said. “You know, it’s one thing losing a teammate. It’s another thing losing a real friend. Through all these years, we always had that type of relationship.”
For more from Monroe, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: NBA Photos