David Wesley

For the board game designer, see David Wesely.

David Wesley

Point guard/ Shooting guard
Personal information
Date of birth	November 14, 1970 (1970-11-14)
Place of birth	San Antonio, Texas
Nationality	American
High school	Longview
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
College	Temple JC, Baylor
NBA Draft	1992 / Undrafted
Pro career	1992–2007
Career history
New Jersey Nets (1993–1994) Boston Celtics (1994–1997) Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (1997–2004) Houston Rockets (2004–2006) Cleveland Cavaliers (2006–2007)
Stats at NBA.com

David Barakau Wesley (born November 14, 1970) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is the cousin of former NBA player Michael Dickerson. He is currently an assistant coach for the Texas Legends.

High school and college

David graduated from Longview High School in Longview, Texas. He was classmates with former NFL player Bobby Taylor. Wesley played his freshman year at Temple Junior College, then transferred to Baylor University. Wesley averaged 17 points per game and 4.4 assists per game in 72 total games at Baylor, and left in 1992, 33 hours short of a degree in physical education.

Career

When Wesley left Baylor University in 1992, many player scouts considered him too small (at 6'1") to play as a shooting guard in the NBA, and doubted his ability to make the transition to point guard. He spent the 1992-93 season in the CBA playing for the Wichita Falls Texans, and signed with the New Jersey Nets as a free agent in 1993. He later played for the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets the Houston Rockets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wesley dispelled the initial doubts about his ability to succeed in the NBA, averaging almost 13 points and 4.6 assists per game over a 14-year career, including ten straight seasons with double-digit scoring averages (1995-96 through 2004-05). He received praise as a tenacious man-to-man defender, and a reliable outside shooter. Wesley played in 55 playoff games and scored double figures in more than half of them.

Career downsloping

During the 2006-07 season, Wesley only played for 35 games and averaged career-lows of 2.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He also did not play any minutes during the playoffs. On September 29, 2007, he was traded back to the Hornets for Cedric Simmons. On October 29, 2007, the New Jersey Nets reacquired guard David Wesley from the New Orleans Hornets for swingman Bernard Robinson, center Mile Ilić and cash considerations. On November 1, 2007, not even a week after the Nets signed him, he was waived. A few days later, Wesley stated he planned on finally cutting ties with his NBA career. Wesley's 11,842 career points ranks second all-time in NBA history among undrafted players, behind Moses Malone.

Personal

David Wesley was charged in 2000 with misdemeanor reckless driving in the crash that killed his friend and teammate Bobby Phills. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report said Phills and Wesley were speeding at more than 100 mph (160 km/h) when Phills lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a car. The report said both Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent and/or aggressive manner", and the men were "involved in a speed competition".

One of Wesley's known goals is to become a college basketball coach.

Achievements and honors

• Southwest Conference’s Most Valuable Player
• 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Champions with the Cavaliers

External links

• David Wesley Profile NBA - David Wesley Player Profile
• David Wesley at Basketball-Reference.com
• ClutchFans.net David Wesley Profile - Houston Rocket Fan Site
• http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg3_career.html