Meet the Wizards: Wes Unseld Jr.
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While we’ve been primarily focused on featuring the Wizards Opening Night roster for the Meet the Wizards series, we thought that a feature on Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr was appropriate as well. Unseld Jr has the task of figuring out the team’s roster night in and out as well as establishing the team’s on the court culture.
Here’s a few quick facts, player shout-outs, and personal life notes on the Wizards’ second year Head Coach.
Quick Facts
Coach Wes Unseld Jr Washington Wizards Media Day Photo
Wes Unseld Jr is the son of NBA Hall of Famer and Washington Bullets legend Wes Unseld.
Unseld Jr signed a four-year contract on July 17, 2021 to become the team’s 25th head coach in franchise history.
Coach spent his initial years in the NBA as a personnel scout and assistant coach for the Wizards. Then he went on to be an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets before returning back to the Wizards as Head Coach.
He played center on his high school basketball team.
Player Shout-Outs
In the Meet the Wizards player series, we have a section on accolades. For Coach Wes Unseld Jr, we are focusing on the positive feedback he’s received from his former and current players.
It was reported that everyone from the Denver Nuggets front office to the players highly recommended Coach Unseld Jr for the Wizards Head Coach job. While the team was sad to see him go, they also were huge advocates in believing he would be an effective coaching leader.
This summer, Coach Unseld Jr took flight to visit some of his players for a check-in and see how they were doing. One of those players was Kristaps Porzingis, when Coach flew to Latvia to visit him during the offseason. Porzingis shared with the media how much Coach traveling to see meant to him personally and professionally.
Personal Life
Wes Unseld Jr. was born in Catonsville, MD and grew up in the Baltimore area. He played high school basketball at Loyola Blakefield and was a captain at Johns Hopkins University. He is married with two children.
