Wesley Lavon Person (born March 28, 1971) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). After his playing career, Person became a women's basketball assistant coach and then the head men's basketball coach at

Enterprise-Ozark Community College Enterprise State Community College is a public community college in Enterprise, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama State Board of Education in February 2003 by reorganizing Enterprise State Junior College to include the Alabama Aviation Cent ...

. He was fired from the latter position in 2010. Selected by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

23rd overall in the

1994 NBA draft The 1994 NBA draft took place on June 29, 1994, at Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. Two NBA rookies of the year were picked in the first round, as Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were co-winners of the award for the 1994–95 NBA season. Kidd and Hill ...

out of

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

, Person played for seven teams throughout his career. He played three seasons for the Suns, five for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, 82 games over two seasons for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

, 33 games for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, nine games for the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

, sixteen games for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

and 25 for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. Person retired with career averages of 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. According to Complex Sports, Person is the 13th greatest three-point shooter of all time.

NBA career

Phoenix Suns (1994–1997)

On June 29, 1994, the

drafted Person with the 23rd overall pick in the

. Person played his first three seasons in Phoenix, where he averaged 12.2 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game in 240 games. He also had a 45.8% field goal percentage and a 40.7% 3-point percentage. Furthermore, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in his rookie season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1997–2002)

On October 1, 1997, Person was involved in a three-team trade in which he was traded with

Tony Dumas Tony Dumas (born August 25, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dumas played collegiately at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), whose athletic program is now known as t ...

to the

Antonio McDyess Antonio Keithflen McDyess (born September 7, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Listed at 6'9" (2.06 m) and 245 lb (111 kg), McDyess played as a power forward. Early life McDyess was born in Quitman, Mississ ...

was traded to the Suns, and three first-round draft picks were traded to the

. where he would spend the majority of his career. In his first season with Cleveland, he led the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

in three-pointers made. In five seasons with the franchise, he averaged 12.0 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and 2.0 assists per game. He had a 46.1% field goal percentage and a 42.2 3-point percentage.

Memphis Grizzlies (2002–2003)

On June 26, 2002, Person was traded to the

for Nick Anderson and

Matt Barnes Matt Barnes (born March 9, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Barnes was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He ...

. He would average 11.0 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game in his first season with Memphis. During his second season with the franchise, he averaged 5.2 points per game, 1.1 rebounds per game, and 1.4 assists per game.

Portland Trail Blazers (2003–2004)

On December 3, 2003, Person was traded, along with a 2004 1st round draft pick (

Sergei Monia Sergei Alexandrovich Monia (russian: Сергей Александрович Моня; born 15 April 1983) is a Russian professional basketball player. He was selected by the NBA club the Portland Trail Blazers, in the first round (23rd overall) ...

), to the

for

Bonzi Wells Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells (born September 28, 1976) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the LeMoyne–Owen College, LeMoyne-Owen Magicians men's basketball team. He played college bas ...

. In 33 games for Portland, he would average 6.5 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, and 1.2 assists per game.

Atlanta Hawks (2004)

On February 9, 2004, Person was traded with

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...

to the

for

Shareef Abdur-Rahim Julius Shareef Abdur-Rahim (born December 11, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who is the president of the NBA G League. Nicknamed Reef, he previously served as the director of player personnel for the Sacramento Kings ...

Dan Dickau Daniel David Dickau (born September 16, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as an on-air broadcaster for ESPN, the Pac-12 Network, CBS Sports Network and Westwood One. He is also a co-host of the ''Dick ...

, and

Theo Ratliff Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

. His tenure with Atlanta was the shortest stint of his career, as he played only 9 games for the franchise. He averaged 4.4 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, and 0.6 assists per game while he was with the team.

Miami Heat (2004–2005)

On August 11, 2004, Person signed with the

as a free agent. In Miami, he would have the lowest points per game average of his career: 3.9. Person also averaged 1.4 rebounds per game and 0.7 assists per game. On March 1, 2005, he was waived by the team.

Denver Nuggets (2005)

Two days after being waived, Person signed with the

. His stint with the Nuggets would be his final NBA tenure. During his 25 games with Denver, he averaged 8.1 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game. Person retired at the end of the season.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 78 , , 56 , , 23.1 , , .484 , , .436 , , .792 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 10.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 47 , , 31.8 , , .445 , , .374 , , .771 , , 3.9 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 42 , , 29.1 , , .453 , , .413 , , .798 , , 3.7 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 39.0 , , .460 , , .430 , , .776 , , 4.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , 14.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 45 , , 42 , , 29.8 , , .453 , , .375 , , .604 , , 3.2 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 79 , , 38 , , 26.0 , , .428 , , .424 , , .792 , , 3.4 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 44 , , 22 , , 21.8 , , .438 , , .405 , , .800 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 78 , , 35.8 , , .495 , , .444 , , .798 , , 3.8 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 66 , , 44 , , 29.4 , , .456 , , .433 , , .814 , , 2.9 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .3 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 16 , , 0 , , 17.8 , , .308 , , .256 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 33 , , 0 , , 18.8 , , .476 , , .474 , , .760 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 9 , , 0 , , 14.7 , , .333 , , .421 , , 1.000 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, 16 , , 3 , , 12.9 , , .439 , , .381 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 25 , , 0 , , 18.4 , , .485 , , .485 , , .556 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.1 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 733 , , 454 , , 28.3 , , .457 , , .418 , , .778 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.2

Playoffs

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1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

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, 10 , , 10 , , 24.7 , , .410 , , .378 , , .917 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .2 , , 9.6 , - , align="left" ,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 45.8 , , .393 , , .310 , , .800 , , 5.8 , , .8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 14.3 , - , align="left" ,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 1 , , 32.6 , , .472 , , .424 , , .778 , , 6.6 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .6 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 34.0 , , .379 , , .368 , , .750 , , 2.3 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .0 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 13.5 , , .429 , , .375 , , .000 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 27 , , 19 , , 29.0 , , .417 , , .373 , , .821 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , 10.3

Personal life

Born in

Brantley, Alabama Brantley is a city in Crenshaw County, Alabama, United States. Brantley is also commonly known as a speed trap town by the locals of Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 825. Brantley was incorporated in 1891 as a city. Geography B ...

, Person is the younger brother of former NBA player

Chuck Person Chuck Connors Person (born June 28, 1964) is an American former basketball player and coach. Person played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was the 1987 NBA Rookie of the Year. Person played college basketball at Aubu ...

, and his son Wesley, Jr. played college basketball at

Troy University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...

and was recently selected by the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

in the 2019 NBA G League Draft. Wesley's nephew, Adrian Person, is a former nationally ranked JUCO basketball player who averaged a national best 31 points per game at

Southern Union State Community College Southern Union State Community College is a public community college in Wadley, Alabama. Southern Union offers academic, technical, health science, and social science programs to the east-central Alabama and west-central Georgia regions. South ...

in Wadley, Alabama in 1997.

References

External links

NBA.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Person, Wesley 1971 births Living people American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Atlanta Hawks players Auburn Tigers men's basketball players Basketball players from Alabama Cleveland Cavaliers players Denver Nuggets players Memphis Grizzlies players Miami Heat players People from Crenshaw County, Alabama Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers players Shooting guards