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Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

By Josh Cornelissen

Kobe Bryant (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Wes Unseld, Washington Bullets. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images /

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 55 – Wes Unseld

On NBA 50 at 50 List

Career: 1968 – 1981

Achievements: 1978 NBA Champion; 1969 MVP; All-NBA (1x); All-Star (5x); Finals MVP; 14th in career rebounds

Only two players have ever won the league’s MVP award as rookies. Wilt Chamberlain did in 1959-60 and backed it up with a Hall of Fame career that saw him rank 12th on this list. The other is Wes Unseld, who won the MVP due to the Baltimore Bullets taking a huge leap forward as he joined the team.

That award didn’t age as well as with Wilt, with Unseld putting together a solid but unspectacular career. With centers like Kareem, Wilt, Dave Cowens and Willis Reed all around he didn’t make a single All-NBA team after his rookie year, in part due to a significant knee injury that limited his impact later in his career.

Unseld was a tough rebounder and competed hard, and he was a key part of three Eastern Conference champion teams and one title squad in 1978, for which he won Finals MVP. His outlet passes were legendary for setting up teammates and sparking the offense in transition, a must for a team starting two interior players like Unseld and Elvin Hayes.