 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.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
Matthews' son, Wesley, also a basketball guard, played for Marquette University,[1] and has played in the NBA since going undrafted in 2009.
