Scott Dean Wedman (born July 29, 1952) 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 thirteen seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA). He was drafted by the

Kansas City-Omaha Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the olde ...

with the sixth pick in the first round in the 1974 NBA draft from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

and was a two-time

NBA champion The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Co ...

and two-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

Early life

Wedman was born in

Harper, Kansas Harper is a city in Harper County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,313. History Harper was founded in 1877 by a colony from Iowa. The city of Harper, like Harper County, is named for Sergeant Mar ...

, the son of Tom and Georgia Wedman.''May, Peter. ''The Last Banner: The Story of the 1985–86 Celtics and the NBA's Greatest Team of All Time'', Simon & Schuster, 2007. He lived on a 100-acre farm. His father, Tom, was a Boeing engineer, farm equipment manufacturer and car dealer. His family moved to

Denver, Colorado 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 ...

before moving back to Kansas. His older brother, Mike, was a national class pole vaulter and decathlete at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

. Scott was a member of the 4-H club and participated in all aspects of farm life. Though undersized and a late bloomer, Wedman excelled at basketball, also at the University of Colorado. Wedman's parents encouraged the strict dietary regimen that he has carried with him his entire life. When he was twelve years old, Wedman's midget-league basketball team won the city championship. Wedman was not a varsity starter until his Senior year, when a growth spurt invigorated his game. He averaged 19 points a game and made All-State at

Mullen High School Mullen High School (formerly J.K. Mullen High School) is a Roman Catholic, Brothers of the Christian Schools, college-preparatory high school in Denver, Colorado. It is run independently within the Archdiocese of Denver. History Mullen High Sc ...

in Denver. He was recruited heavily by both the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

and the University of Colorado.

College career (1970-1974)

Wedman played collegiality for the

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffaloe ...

, following his brother Mike to the school. Wedman played for Coach

Sox Walseth Russell "Sox" Walseth (April 6, 1926 – January 28, 2004) was an American college basketball coach, best known for his tenures as both the men's and women's head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. Walseth was born in Aberdeen, South Da ...

, scoring 1,251 career points and averaging 16.7 per game. He graduated in 1974, leaving as CU's fourth all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Wedman was twice an All-Big Eight Conference selection and lead Colorado in scoring as a junior (17.7 per game) and as a senior (20.0). Wedman was selected as a first-team All Big Eight as a junior and senior later was named to the

Big 8 Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

all-decade team for the 1970s.

NBA career

Kansas City/Omaha Kings (1974–1981)

Wedman was the 2nd overall pick in the 1974

ABA draft The American Basketball Association draft was held from 1967 to 1975. First overall picks Note: 1974 ABA College Draft, not 1974 ABA Draft of NBA Players Further reading *{{cite book, last=Bradley, first=Robert D., title=The Basketball Draft Fac ...

by the Memphis Tams of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

and the 6th overall pick of the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the olde ...

in the 1974 NBA draft. Wedman signed with the Kings. Wedman was a proficient shooter for the Kings playing under coaches Phil Johnson and

Cotton Fitzsimmons Lowell Gibbs "Cotton" Fitzsimmons (October 7, 1931 – July 24, 2004) was an American college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Bowling Green, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal, Mi ...

and alongside

Tiny Archibald Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City–Omaha Kings ...

and Otis Birdsong among others. He represented the Kansas City Kings twice in the NBA All-Star Game. During his time in Kansas City, Wedman gained the nickname "The Incredible Hulk" because of his extensive sessions in the weight room. On March 4, 1979, Wedman was involved in a 1-car accident in which his Porsche overturned on a rainy highway in Kansas City. At the time, doctors credited his conditioning with keeping him out of action for only a few games. He hit a career summit in 1979–80 and 1980–81, with a scoring average of 19.0 points per game. On January 2, 1980, he scored 45 points in an overtime win at Utah for his career high. Wedman was a key to Kansas City's postseason success in 1981. Despite finishing the regular season with only a 40–42 record, the Kings caught fire in the playoffs, beating Portland 2–1 and Phoenix 4–3 before losing 1–4 to Houston in the Western Conference finals. At the 1981 NBA draft, seeing that the Kings could not afford to keep both Wedman and fellow All-Star Otis Birdsong, Kansas City traded Birdsong and let Wedman sign with Cleveland. A small forward, Wedman averaged 34.7 minutes, 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 547 games for the Kings over seven seasons, shooting 80% from the line, 49.0% from the field and 32.3% from three (after the 3-point line was introduced in 1979).

Cleveland Cavaliers (1981–1983)

Signing a 1 million dollar contract as a free agent, Wedman's scoring initially declined due to injuries, as he averaged 10.9 points per game in 1981–82, playing 30 minutes per game in 54 games for the Cavaliers. On January 14, 1983, Wedman, averaging 18.1 points in 36 minutes over 35 games, was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

for

Darren Tillis Darren Tillis (born February 23, 1960) is an American retired professional basketball player who was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round (23rd pick overall) of the 1982 NBA draft. A 6'11" center born in Dallas, Texas Tillis spent h ...

and cash. Overall, Wedman averaged 13.8 points in 89 games and 32.9 minutes for Cleveland, shooting 78% from the line, 46% from the field and 31.1% on three-point shots.

Boston Celtics (1983–1986)

In Boston, he was instrumental as a player off the bench in the Celtics' NBA championships in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

, playing under

KC Jones K. C. Jones (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12 ...

. While in Boston, Wedman joined Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bill Walton in coming off the Celtics bench, on a roster that included Hall of Famers

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson,

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA), tied for second most in league history. He played an NBA-record 1,6 ...

, as well as

Quinn Buckner William Quinn Buckner (born August 20, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiate basketball for the Indiana University Hoosiers, and won a national championship in 1976. He was a captain of both ...

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-s ...

and Cedric Maxwell. Boston fans remember Wedman's performance in the Memorial Day Massacre, an appellation for Game 1 of the

1985 NBA Finals The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1984–85 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It featured the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference p ...

. Coming off the bench, Wedman hit all 11 of his shots, including four three-pointers, in Boston's 148–114 win over the Lakers. He often spelled Larry Bird and Kevin McHale or replaced them when they were injured. Wedman was a strict vegetarian during his playing career, not for any moral reasons but for health purposes. For this, Wedman was teased mercilessly by both Bird and McHale in practices and at meals. "He was a vital piece of our team. He knew that players like Larry and Kevin were going to get their minutes, and he accepted his role without hesitation," said Celtics Coach

about Wedman's tenure in Boston. "He had the perfect attitude. As a coach, you couldn’t ask for anything more. He was an important piece of two championship teams." Wedman averaged 14.9 minutes in his five seasons in Boston, shooting 47.2% from the floor and 35.5% on three-pointers, averaging 6.2 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Seattle SuperSonics

On October 16, 1987, he was traded by the Celtics with

Sam Vincent James Samuel Vincent (born May 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Vincent won the State of Michigan "Mr. Basketball" award in 1981, the first year the award was given. He attended Lansing's Eastern High Sch ...

to the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

for a 1989 second-round draft choice. However, he retired and did not play a game for the SuperSonics. For his career, Wedman played 906 games in thirteen seasons and averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists, shooting 48.5% from the floor, 79.4% from the line and 33.5% on three-points.

Post playing career

He coached the now-defunct

Kansas City Knights The Kansas City Knights was the name of an American Basketball Association minor league basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They have not played since the 2004–05 season. Franchise history The Knights were one of the ABA's charter ...

of the

. Wedman returned to Kansas City where he lives today and operates his real estate business. In June 2007, Wedman was named head coach of the

Great Falls Explorers The Great Falls Explorers were a team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) founded in 2006. The team played their home games at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, Montana. The franchise was branded 'Explorers' in honor of Lewis and ...

of the CBA.

Honors

* Wedman was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. * In 2015, Wedman was inducted into the Colorado University Athletic Hall Of Fame. * Wedman was inducted into the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor in 2016.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1974–75 , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City-Omaha , 80 , , , , 31.9 , , .465 , , , , .818 , , 6.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1975–76 , style="text-align:left;",

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

, 82 , , , , 36.2 , , .456 , , , , .780 , , 7.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1976–77 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 33.9 , , .460 , , , , .855 , , 6.2 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1977–78 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 36.6 , , .509 , , , , .870 , , 5.7 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1978–79 , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , , , 34.2 , , .534 , , , , .797 , , 5.3 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 18.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1979–80 , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , , , 34.5 , , .512 , , .318 , , .801 , , 5.7 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1980–81 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 35.8 , , .477 , , .325 , , .686 , , 5.3 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1981–82 , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 54 , , 39 , , 30.3 , , .441 , , .217 , , .733 , , 5.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1982–83 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 36.9 , , .480 , , .409 , , .844 , , 5.9 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , .3 , , 18.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1982–83 , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 40 , , 0 , , 12.6 , , .459 , , .100 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1983–84† , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 5 , , 13.5 , , .444 , , .154 , , .829 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1984–85 , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 5 , , 14.4 , , .478 , , .500 , , .764 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .1 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1985–86† , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 19 , , 17.7 , , .473 , , .354 , , .662 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986–87 , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 2 , , 13.0 , , .333 , , .500 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 906 , , 105 , , 28.6 , , .481 , , .335 , , .794 , , 4.8 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .3 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .800 , , .000 , , .000 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 8.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;", Kansas City-Omaha , 6 , , , , 38.3 , , .397 , , , , .667 , , 5.8 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1979 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , , , 34.8 , , .462 , , , , .750 , , 7.4 , , 1.8 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , 19.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , , , 38.7 , , .453 , , .667 , , .727 , , 7.0 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 22.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1981 , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , , , 43.8 , , .434 , , .281 , , .714 , , 5.8 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1983 , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , , , 11.0 , , .583 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .2 , , .0 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , , , 13.3 , , .417 , , .571 , , .500 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 1 , , 16.7 , , .545 , , .455 , , .684 , , 2.8 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .0 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .392 , , .500 , , .750 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .8 , , .3 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 85 , , 1 , , 23.1 , , .453 , , .386 , , .696 , , 3.8 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .2 , , 10.4

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wedman, Scott 1952 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Kansas Boston Celtics players Cleveland Cavaliers players Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Kansas City Kings draft picks Kansas City Kings players National Basketball Association All-Stars People from Harper County, Kansas Small forwards