Wes Unseld, NBA Rookie of Year and MVP in 1969, dies at 74

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wes Unseld, one of two players in NBA history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season, died Tuesday. He was 74.

Unseld died 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 and at the time was based in Baltimore.

Unseld was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

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