View source for Wes Matthews

{{short description|American basketball player}}
{{About|the former basketball player|his son and former player|Wesley Matthews}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name         = Wes Matthews
| image        = WesMatthews1989.jpg
| width        =
| caption      = Matthews with Ranger Varese in 1989
| height_ft    = 6
| height_in    = 1
| weight_lb    = 170
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1959|08|24}}
| birth_place  = [[Sarasota, Florida]], U.S.
| high_school  = [[Warren Harding High School|Warren Harding]]<br>([[Bridgeport, Connecticut]])
| college      = [[Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball|Wisconsin]] (1977–1980)
| draft_year   = 1980
| draft_round  = 1
| draft_pick   = 14
| draft_team   = [[Washington Bullets]]
| career_start = 1980
| career_end   = 1996
| career_number = 1, 14
| career_position = [[Point guard]]
| years1       = {{nbay|1980|full=y}}
| team1        = [[Washington Bullets]]
| years2       = {{nbay|1980|end}}–{{nbay|1982|end}}
| team2        = [[Atlanta Hawks]]
| years3       = 1983–1984
| team3        = [[Ohio Mixers]]
| years4       = {{nbay|1983|end}}
| team4        = Atlanta Hawks
| years5       = {{nbay|1983|end}}
| team5        = [[Philadelphia 76ers]]
| years6       = {{nbay|1984|full=y}}
| team6        = [[Chicago Bulls]]
| years7       = {{nbay|1985|full=y}}
| team7        = [[San Antonio Spurs]]
| years8       = {{nbay|1986|start}}–{{nbay|1987|end}}
| team8        = [[Los Angeles Lakers]]
| years9       = 1988–1989
| team9        = [[Tulsa Fast Breakers]]
| years10      = 1989
| team10       = [[Pallacanestro Varese|Ranger Varese]]
| years11      = {{nbay|1989|end}}
| team11       = Atlanta Hawks
| years12      = 1991
| team12       = [[Atlanta Eagles]]
| years13      = 1991
| team13       = [[Barangay Ginebra San Miguel|Ginebra San Miguel]]
| years14      = 1992–1993
| team14       = [[Rapid City Thrillers]]
| years15      = 1993–1994
| team15       = [[Rochester Renegade]]
| years16      = 1994–1995
| team16       = [[Fort Wayne Fury]]
| years17      = 1995
| team17       = [[Florida Sharks]]
| years18      = 1995
| team18       = [[Atlanta Trojans]]
| years19      = 1995
| team19       = [[Memphis Fire]]
| years20      = 1996
| team20       = Atlanta Trojans
| years21      = 1998
| team21       = [[COC-Ribeirão Preto]]
| highlights   =
* 2× [[List of NBA Champions|NBA champion]] ([[1987 NBA Finals|1987]], [[1988 NBA Finals|1988]])
* [[Continental Basketball Association|CBA]] champion (1989)
* [[Bobby Parks PBA Best Import of the Conference award|PBA Best Import of the Conference]] award ([[1991 PBA Third Conference|1991 Third Conference]]) 
* Fourth-team [[Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team|''Parade'' All-American]] (1977)
|stats_league=NBA
| stat1label   = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value   = 3,654 (7.9 ppg)
| stat2label   = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value   = 626 (1.3 rpg)
| stat3label   = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value   = 1,955 (4.2 apg)
}}

'''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 former NBA player [[Wesley Matthews]].

==Basketball career==
Matthews graduated from Warren Harding High School in [[Bridgeport, Connecticut]], in 1977. A {{height|ft=6|in=1}} [[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 [[Assist (basketball)|assists]] per game, he scored 3,654 career points and earned [[NBA Finals|NBA Championship]] rings with the [[1987 NBA Finals|1987]] and [[1988 NBA Finals|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 [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italy]], spending the 1989–90 season at [[Pallacanestro Varese|Ranger Varese]] before being called by the Hawks for one [[1989–90 NBA season|regular season]] match.

He had a stint in the [[Philippine Basketball Association]] (PBA), winning the best import award in 1991 for [[Barangay Ginebra San Miguel|Ginebra San Miguel]].

==Career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

===NBA===

====Regular season====
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| {{nbay|1980}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1980–81 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| 45 || {{sort|-|—}} || 25.8 || .499 || .333 || .767 || 1.5 || 4.4 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1980–81 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| 34 || {{sort|-|—}} || '''32.5''' || .488 || .000 || .837 || '''2.1''' || 6.2 || '''1.8''' || 0.2 || '''12.5'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1981}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1981–82 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| 47 || 5 || 17.8 || .440 || .250 || .759 || 1.2 || 3.0 || 1.1 || 0.0 || 6.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1982}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1982–83 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| 64 || 0 || 18.5 || .403 || .292 || .768 || 1.4 || 3.9 || 0.9 || 0.1 || 6.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| {{nbay|1983}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| 6 || 0 || 16.0 || '''.533''' || .000 || .818 || 0.7 || 3.5 || 0.8 || 0.2 || 8.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]]
| 14 || 5 || 20.9 || .446 || .143 || .643 || 1.6 || 4.4 || 0.8 || 0.1 || 7.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1984}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1984–85 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| '''78''' || 38 || 19.5 || .495 || .125 || .694 || 0.9 || 4.5 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 5.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1985}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985–86 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]]
| 75 || '''46''' || 24.7 || .531 || .160 || .820 || 1.7 || '''6.3''' || 1.2 || '''0.4''' || 10.9
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|{{nbay|1986}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 50 || 0 || 10.6 || .476 || '''.333''' || .806 || 0.9 || 2.0 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 4.2
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|{{nbay|1987}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 51 || 8 || 13.8 || .460 || .233 || .831 || 1.3 || 2.7 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 5.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1989}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| 1 || 0 || 13.0 || .333 || .000 || '''1.000''' || 0.0 || 5.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 4.0
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 465 || 102 || 20.0 || .478 || .225 || .788 || 1.3 || 4.2 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 7.9
|- class="sortbottom"
{{s-end}}

===Playoffs===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1982 NBA Playoffs|1982]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1981–82 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| 4 || {{sort|-|—}} || 14.0 || .200 || {{sort|-|—}} || '''1.000''' || 0.0 || 2.0 || 0.0 || '''0.5''' || 4.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983 NBA Playoffs|1983]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1982–83 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| 3 || {{sort|-|—}} || 12.7 || .333 || .000 || .800 || 0.0 || 3.7 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 3.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1984 NBA Playoffs|1984]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]]
| 4 || {{sort|-|—}} || 5.8 || .500 || '''.500''' || .500 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 2.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985 NBA Playoffs|1985]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1984–85 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 4 || '''4''' || 22.8 || .344 || .000 || .778 || 1.5 || 3.0 || 1.3 || 0.0 || 7.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986 NBA Playoffs|1986]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985–86 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]]
| 3 || 3 || '''38.7''' || '''.648''' || .000 || .750 || '''2.3''' || '''8.0''' || '''2.0''' || 0.0 || '''25.3'''
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|[[1987 NBA Playoffs|1987]]†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| '''12''' || 0 || 5.1 || .478 || .000 || .857 || 0.3 || 0.8 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 2.3
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|[[1988 NBA Playoffs|1988]]†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 10 || 0 || 2.7 || .400 || .000 || .800 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 1.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 38 || 7 || 10.1 || .482 || .111 || .800 || 0.5 || 1.7 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4.6
{{s-end}}

==Personal life==
Matthews' son, [[Wesley Matthews|Wesley]], also a basketball guard, played for [[Marquette University]],<ref>[http://gomarquette.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/matthews_wesley00.html Wesley Matthews Marquette profile]</ref> and has played in the NBA since going [[NBA draft|undrafted]] in [[2009 NBA draft|2009]].

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Sports}}
{{basketballstats|bbr=m/matthwe01}}

{{navboxes|list=
{{1980 NBA draft}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1986–87 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1987–88 NBA champions}}
{{PBA Best Imports}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Wes}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:American expatriate basketball people in Brazil]]
[[Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy]]
[[Category:American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Atlanta Hawks players]]
[[Category:Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Florida]]
[[Category:Chicago Bulls players]]
[[Category:Fort Wayne Fury players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Lakers players]]
[[Category:Ohio Mixers players]]
[[Category:Pallacanestro Varese players]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)]]
[[Category:Philadelphia 76ers players]]
[[Category:Philippine Basketball Association imports]]
[[Category:Point guards]]
[[Category:Rapid City Thrillers players]]
[[Category:Rochester Renegade players]]
[[Category:San Antonio Spurs players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Sarasota, Florida]]
[[Category:Warren Harding High School alumni]]
[[Category:Washington Bullets draft picks]]
[[Category:Washington Bullets players]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players]]