 Matthews with Ranger Varese in 1989 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 24, 1959 Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Warren Harding ( Bridgeport, Connecticut) |
| College | Wisconsin (1977–1980) |
| NBA draft | 1980: 1st round, 14th overall pick |
| Selected by the Washington Bullets | |
| Playing career | 1980–1996 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 1, 14 |
| Career history | |
| 1980–1981 | Washington Bullets |
| 1981– 1983 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1983–1984 | Ohio Mixers |
| 1984 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1984 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1984–1985 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1985–1986 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986– 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1988–1989 | Tulsa Fast Breakers |
| 1989 | Ranger Varese |
| 1990 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1991 | Atlanta Eagles |
| 1991 | Ginebra San Miguel |
| 1992–1993 | Rapid City Thrillers |
| 1993–1994 | Rochester Renegade |
| 1994–1995 | Fort Wayne Fury |
| 1995 | Florida Sharks |
| 1995 | Atlanta Trojans |
| 1995 | Memphis Fire |
| 1996 | Atlanta Trojans |
| 1996 | COC-Ribeirão Preto |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,654 (7.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 626 (1.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,955 (4.2 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Wesley Joel Matthews Sr. (born August 24, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the father of current NBA player Wesley Matthews.
Basketball career
Matthews graduated from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1977. A 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) point guard at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he was selected by the Washington Bullets with the 14th pick of the 1980 NBA draft. He played nine seasons in the league with the Bullets, Atlanta Hawks (two stints), Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers. Averaging eight points and four assists per game, he scored 3,654 career points and earned NBA Championship rings with the 1987 and 1988 Lakers.
Matthews retired from professional basketball in 1996. Besides his NBA stints, he also played in the United States Basketball League, in the Continental Basketball Association and in Italy, spending the 1989–90 season at Ranger Varese before being called by the Hawks for one regular season match.
He had a stint in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), winning the best import award in 1991 for Ginebra San Miguel.
Career statistics
| 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 |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Washington | 45 | — | 25.8 | .499 | .333 | .767 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 12.3 |
| Atlanta | 34 | — | 32.5 | .488 | .000 | .837 | 2.1 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 12.5 | |
| 1981–82 | Atlanta | 47 | 5 | 17.8 | .440 | .250 | .759 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 6.9 |
| 1982–83 | Atlanta | 64 | 0 | 18.5 | .403 | .292 | .768 | 1.4 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 6.9 |
| 1983–84 | Atlanta | 6 | 0 | 16.0 | .533 | .000 | .818 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 8.3 |
| Philadelphia | 14 | 5 | 20.9 | .446 | .143 | .643 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 7.1 | |
| 1984–85 | Chicago | 78 | 38 | 19.5 | .495 | .125 | .694 | 0.9 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 5.7 |
| 1985–86 | San Antonio | 75 | 46 | 24.7 | .531 | .160 | .820 | 1.7 | 6.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 10.9 |
| 1986–87† | L.A. Lakers | 50 | 0 | 10.6 | .476 | .333 | .806 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 4.2 |
| 1987–88† | L.A. Lakers | 51 | 8 | 13.8 | .460 | .233 | .831 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 5.7 |
| 1989–90 | Atlanta | 1 | 0 | 13.0 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Career | 465 | 102 | 20.0 | .478 | .225 | .788 | 1.3 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 7.9 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Atlanta | 4 | — | 14.0 | .200 | — | 1.000 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 4.0 |
| 1983 | Atlanta | 3 | — | 12.7 | .333 | .000 | .800 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.3 |
| 1984 | Philadelphia | 4 | — | 5.8 | .500 | .500 | .500 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| 1985 | Chicago | 4 | 4 | 22.8 | .344 | .000 | .778 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 7.3 |
| 1986 | San Antonio | 3 | 3 | 38.7 | .648 | .000 | .750 | 2.3 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 25.3 |
| 1987† | L.A. Lakers | 12 | 0 | 5.1 | .478 | .000 | .857 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| 1988† | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 0 | 2.7 | .400 | .000 | .800 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Career | 38 | 7 | 10.1 | .482 | .111 | .800 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 4.6 | |
Personal life
Matthews' son, Wesley, also a basketball guard, played for Marquette University, [1] and has played in the NBA since going undrafted in 2009.
Notes
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- 1959 births
- Living people
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople
- 21st-century African-American people
- American expatriate basketball people in Brazil
- American expatriate basketball people in Italy
- American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines
- American men's basketball players
- Atlanta Hawks players
- Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players
- Basketball players from Florida
- Chicago Bulls players
- Fort Wayne Fury players
- Los Angeles Lakers players
- Ohio Mixers players
- Pallacanestro Varese players
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- Philadelphia 76ers players
- Philippine Basketball Association imports
- Point guards
- Rapid City Thrillers players
- Rochester Renegade players
- San Antonio Spurs players
- Sportspeople from Sarasota, Florida
- Warren Harding High School alumni
- Washington Bullets draft picks
- Washington Bullets players
- Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players