On this day in 1968: Wes Unseld’s debut — 8 points, 22 rebounds, and the start of an MVP rookie year

Fifty-eight years ago on October 16, a 22-year-old center from Louisville played his first NBA game and scored only eight points. Nobody in the Baltimore Civic Center was counting points. Wes Unseld grabbed 22 rebounds, the Bullets beat the Detroit Pistons 124-116, and a season began that ended with something only one other player in league history had done: Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year.

Baltimore had taken Unseld with the No. 2 pick in the 1968 draft. At a listed 6-foot-7 he was short for a center, and he made up for it with width, timing and an outlet pass that started the break before most defenders had turned around. His first night showed the whole package in miniature.

The box from the first night

According to Basketball-Reference, Unseld played 40 minutes, shot 3-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 at the line, and finished with eight points, 22 rebounds and three assists. He committed only two fouls. The scoring came from elsewhere: Gus Johnson had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Earl Monroe scored 28 with nine assists, and Kevin Loughery added 23.

Detroit had a star guard of its own on the floor. Dave Bing, in his third season, scored 39 points on 12-of-27 shooting and went 15-for-15 from the line in 47 minutes. Happy Hairston had 17 points and 17 rebounds. Dave DeBusschere grabbed 15 rebounds before fouling out. It still was not enough against a Baltimore team that suddenly had someone to finish its defensive possessions.

• Result: Bullets 124, Pistons 116 — October 16, 1968, Baltimore Civic Center.
• Unseld’s debut: 40 minutes, 3-6 FG, 2-2 FT, 8 points, 22 rebounds, 3 assists.
• Bullets scoring: Gus Johnson 29 points, 11 rebounds; Earl Monroe 28 points, 9 assists; Kevin Loughery 23.
• Pistons leaders: Dave Bing 39 points (15-15 FT); Happy Hairston 17 points, 17 rebounds; Dave DeBusschere 15 rebounds.

From 36 wins to 57

The year before Unseld arrived, Baltimore went 36-46 and finished sixth in the Eastern Division under Gene Shue. With the rookie in the middle, the same coach took the Bullets to 57-25 and first place in the East. Unseld played all 82 games, averaged 36.2 minutes, 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds, and shot .476 from the field.

That was enough to win both Rookie of the Year and the MVP award, along with first-team All-NBA. Wilt Chamberlain, in 1959-60, is the only other player to take both trophies in the same season. The playoffs were less kind: the Knicks swept Baltimore 4-0 in the Eastern Division semifinals, a rivalry that would define Unseld’s early years.

The career that followed

Unseld spent all 13 of his seasons with the one franchise as it moved from Baltimore to the Washington area, spending one season as the Capital Bullets before becoming the Washington Bullets. He played 984 regular-season games and finished with 10,624 points and 13,769 rebounds. He made five All-Star teams and led the league in rebounding in 1974-75.

The title came in 1978, when Washington won the championship and Unseld was named Finals MVP. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988 and later named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Unseld died on June 2, 2020, at 74. You can find his full numbers on his WhyNBA player page.

His debut line still reads like the rest of his career: few shots, a pile of rebounds, a win. Eight points on the night, and an MVP trophy by spring.