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David Wesley
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David Barakau Wesley (born November 14, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Key Information
Early life
[edit]David graduated from Longview High School in Longview, Texas. He was classmates with former NFL player Bobby Taylor.
College career
[edit]Wesley played his freshman year at Temple Junior College, then transferred to Baylor University. Wesley averaged 17 points per game and 4.4 assists per game in 72 total games at Baylor, and left in 1992, 33 hours short of a degree in physical education.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Wichita Falls Texans (1992–1993)
[edit]When Wesley left Baylor University in 1992, many scouts considered him too small (at 6'1") to play as a shooting guard in the NBA, and doubted his ability to make the transition to point guard. As a result, Wesley was not selected in the 1992 NBA draft. He spent the 1992–93 season in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) playing for the Wichita Falls Texans where he was selected to the CBA All-Rookie First Team.[2]
New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, and Houston Rockets (1993–2006)
[edit]Wesley signed with the New Jersey Nets as a free agent in 1993.[3] He later played for the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets the Houston Rockets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wesley dispelled the initial doubts about his ability to succeed in the NBA, averaging almost 13 points and 4.6 assists per game over a 14-year career, including ten straight seasons with double-digit scoring averages (1995–96 through 2004–05). He received praise as a tenacious man-to-man defender, and a reliable outside shooter. Wesley played in 55 playoff games and scored double figures in more than half of them.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2006–2007)
[edit]During the 2006–07 season, Wesley only played for 35 games and averaged career-lows of 2.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He also did not play any minutes during the playoffs.
On September 29, 2007, Wesley was traded back to the Hornets for Cedric Simmons.[4] On October 29, 2007, the New Jersey Nets reacquired guard David Wesley from the New Orleans Hornets for swingman Bernard Robinson, center Mile Ilić and cash considerations. On November 1, 2007, not even a week after the Nets signed him, he was waived. A few days later, Wesley stated he planned on ending his NBA career. His 11,842 career points rank second all-time behind Moses Malone among undrafted NBA players.[5][6]
NBA career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | New Jersey | 60 | 0 | 9.0 | .368 | .234 | .830 | .7 | 2.1 | .6 | .1 | 3.1 |
| 1994–95 | Boston | 51 | 36 | 27.1 | .409 | .429 | .755 | 2.3 | 5.2 | 1.6 | .2 | 7.4 |
| 1995–96 | Boston | 82 | 53 | 25.7 | .459 | .426 | .753 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 1.2 | .1 | 12.3 |
| 1996–97 | Boston | 74 | 73 | 40.4 | .468 | .360 | .781 | 3.6 | 7.3 | 2.2 | .2 | 16.8 |
| 1997–98 | Charlotte | 81 | 81 | 35.1 | .443 | .347 | .795 | 2.6 | 6.5 | 1.7 | .4 | 13.0 |
| 1998–99 | Charlotte | 50* | 50* | 37.0 | .446 | .359 | .832 | 3.2 | 6.4 | 2.0 | .2 | 14.1 |
| 1999–00 | Charlotte | 82 | 82* | 33.7 | .426 | .355 | .778 | 2.7 | 5.6 | 1.3 | .1 | 13.6 |
| 2000–01 | Charlotte | 82 | 82* | 37.9 | .422 | .376 | .799 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 1.6 | .2 | 17.2 |
| 2001–02 | Charlotte | 67 | 63 | 37.1 | .400 | .332 | .734 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 1.1 | .2 | 14.2 |
| 2002–03 | New Orleans | 73 | 73 | 37.1 | .433 | .424 | .781 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 1.5 | .1 | 16.7 |
| 2003–04 | New Orleans | 61 | 60 | 32.8 | .389 | .323 | .753 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .2 | 14.0 |
| 2004–05 | New Orleans | 26 | 26 | 35.9 | .389 | .350 | .882 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .0 | 13.9 |
| 2004–05 | Houston | 54 | 53 | 34.1 | .404 | .383 | .841 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 1.1 | .1 | 10.9 |
| 2005–06 | Houston | 71 | 59 | 33.4 | .403 | .365 | .807 | 2.5 | 2.9 | .8 | .1 | 9.9 |
| 2006–07 | Cleveland | 35 | 5 | 10.1 | .293 | .237 | .714 | 1.0 | 1.1 | .3 | .1 | 2.1 |
| Career | 949 | 796 | 31.9 | .424 | .368 | .786 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 1.3 | .2 | 12.5 | |
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | New Jersey | 3 | 0 | 6.0 | .429 | .250 | 1.000 | .0 | 1.0 | .7 | .0 | 3.0 |
| 1998 | Charlotte | 9 | 9 | 31.7 | .398 | .429 | .714 | 2.0 | 6.7 | .8 | .0 | 10.0 |
| 2000 | Charlotte | 4 | 4 | 38.0 | .333 | .300 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 2.0 | .0 | 11.0 |
| 2001 | Charlotte | 10 | 10 | 39.4 | .470 | .394 | .756 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 1.6 | .1 | 17.0 |
| 2002 | Charlotte | 9 | 9 | 41.8 | .403 | .447 | .913 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 1.1 | .2 | 15.8 |
| 2003 | New Orleans | 6 | 6 | 30.8 | .403 | .412 | 1.000 | 1.2 | 2.2 | .8 | .2 | 13.2 |
| 2004 | New Orleans | 7 | 7 | 34.7 | .324 | .367 | .714 | 2.3 | 2.4 | .7 | .0 | 10.6 |
| 2005 | Houston | 7 | 7 | 39.9 | .352 | .476 | .692 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 1.3 | .1 | 8.1 |
| Career | 55 | 52 | 35.1 | .398 | .408 | .796 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 1.1 | .1 | 12.1 | |
Coaching
[edit]Wesley was an assistant coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League from 2010 to 2012.[7]
Broadcasting
[edit]On August 6, 2012, it was announced that Wesley would join the Fox Sports New Orleans team in broadcasting New Orleans Hornets games. (Since then, the team has been renamed the New Orleans Pelicans.) He was hired to be the Pelicans television color analyst.[8] He was eventually replaced by Antonio Daniels prior to the start of the 2019–20 NBA season.[9]
Personal
[edit]He is the cousin of former NBA player Michael Dickerson.[10]
Wesley was charged in 2000 with misdemeanor reckless driving in the crash that killed his friend and teammate Bobby Phills. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report said Phills was speeding at more than 100 mph (160 km/h) when he lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a car. The report said both Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent and/or aggressive manner".[11] In a non-jury trial, a judge acquitted Wesley of the charge of racing Phills.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Wesley makes lasting impression on kids". Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
- ^ "David Wesley minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ^ "Cavaliers sign David Wesley". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Cavs make two moves".
- ^ "Hornets Welcome New Faces to 2012–13 FOX Sports New Orleans TV Broadcast Team" (Press release). New Orleans Hornets. August 6, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
Upon retiring in 2007, Wesley ranked second all-time (behind Moses Malone) in NBA history among undrafted players with 11,842 career points.
- ^ "These Bears could ball". Waco Tribune-Herald. December 29, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
Following Baylor, Wesley played 15 years in the NBA, and is the league's No. 2 all-time scorer among undrafted players, behind only Moses Malone.
- ^ "NBA Development League: David Wesley Takes Job with Hornets". NBA.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014.
- ^ "New Orleans Hornets' new television broadcast team includes Joel Meyers and former NBA player David Wesley". NOLA.com.
- ^ "New Orleans Pelicans and Fox Sports New Orleans announce hiring of Antonio Daniels as television color analyst". NBA.com.
- ^ "Ilgauskas' time could be winding down". news-herald.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
- ^ "N.B.A.: SAN ANTONIO; Elliott Returns to Practice Following Transplant". The New York Times. February 3, 2000. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Abrams, Jonathan (March 31, 2015). "» After the Crash". » Sports and Pop Culture from our rotating cast of writers – Grantland. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
External links
[edit]- David Wesley Profile NBA – David Wesley Player Profile
- Career statistics from NBA.com · Basketball Reference