John Salley vs. Wes Unseld Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Wes Unseld and John Salley, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

John Salley played 11 years in the NBA, 2 less than Wes Unseld, who played 13. John Salley had the first of his seasons in 1986-87, while Wes Unseld had his rookie season in 1968-69. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
John Salley 11 9 1986-87 to 1999-00
Wes Unseld 13 12 1968-69 to 1980-81

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1986-871968-69
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost East Conf FinalsBullets Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 82 17.8 5.3 1.3 2.3 3.6 0.7 0.5 1.5 0.9 3.1 2.0 3.5 .562 0.0 0.0 .000 1.3 2.1 .614
Wes Unseld 82 36.2 13.8 - - 18.2 2.6 - - - 3.4 5.2 10.9 .476 - - - 3.4 5.6 .605
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 15 20.7 6.2 2.0 2.8 4.8 0.7 0.2 1.1 0.9 4.0 2.2 4.4 .500 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.8 .643
Wes Unseld 4 41.3 18.8 - - 18.5 1.3 - - - 3.5 7.5 14.3 .526 - - - 3.8 4.8 .789

Season 2

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1987-881969-70
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Pistons Lost NBA FinalsBullets Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 82 24.4 8.5 2.0 2.9 4.9 1.4 0.6 1.7 1.5 3.6 3.1 5.6 .566 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.2 .709
Wes Unseld 82 39.4 16.2 - - 16.7 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.4 12.4 .518 - - - 3.3 5.2 .638
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 23 27.1 7.0 2.8 4.0 6.7 0.9 0.7 1.6 1.0 3.8 2.4 4.5 .538 0.0 0.0 .000 2.1 3.0 .710
Wes Unseld 7 41.3 10.4 - - 23.6 3.4 - - - 3.6 4.1 10.0 .414 - - - 2.1 2.7 .789

Season 3

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1988-891970-71
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBullets Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 67 21.8 7.0 2.0 3.0 5.0 1.1 0.6 1.1 1.5 2.9 2.5 5.0 .498 0.0 0.0 .000 2.0 2.9 .692
Wes Unseld 74 39.2 14.1 - - 16.9 4.0 - - - 3.2 5.7 11.4 .501 - - - 2.7 4.1 .657
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 17 23.1 8.9 2.0 2.6 4.6 0.5 0.5 1.5 0.7 3.4 3.4 5.8 .586 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 3.2 .667
Wes Unseld 18 42.2 13.2 - - 18.8 3.8 - - - 3.3 5.3 11.6 .462 - - - 2.6 4.5 .568

Season 4

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1989-901971-72
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBullets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 82 23.3 7.2 1.9 3.5 5.4 0.8 0.6 1.9 1.2 3.4 2.5 5.0 .512 0.0 0.0 .250 2.1 3.0 .713
Wes Unseld 76 41.7 13.0 - - 17.6 3.7 - - - 2.9 5.4 10.8 .498 - - - 2.3 3.6 .629
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 20 27.4 9.5 2.9 3.0 5.9 1.0 0.5 1.7 1.1 3.8 2.9 6.1 .475 0.0 0.0 - 3.7 4.9 .755
Wes Unseld 6 44.3 12.3 - - 12.5 4.2 - - - 3.7 5.3 10.8 .492 - - - 1.7 3.2 .526

Season 5

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1990-911972-73
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost East Conf FinalsBullets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 74 22.3 7.4 1.9 2.6 4.4 0.9 0.7 1.5 1.2 3.2 2.4 5.1 .475 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.5 .727
Wes Unseld 79 39.1 12.5 - - 15.9 4.4 - - - 2.1 5.3 10.8 .493 - - - 1.9 2.7 .703
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 15 20.5 7.5 1.3 2.8 4.1 0.7 0.4 1.3 0.9 3.9 2.5 4.7 .543 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 4.0 .600
Wes Unseld 5 40.2 9.8 - - 15.2 3.4 - - - 2.4 4.0 9.6 .417 - - - 1.8 3.8 .474

Season 6

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1991-921973-74
Team Detroit PistonsCapital Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Pistons Lost East Conf 1st RdBullets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 72 24.6 9.5 1.5 2.6 4.1 1.6 0.7 1.5 1.4 3.1 3.5 6.8 .512 0.0 0.0 .000 2.6 3.6 .715
Wes Unseld 56 30.8 5.9 2.7 6.5 9.2 2.8 1.0 0.3 - 2.2 2.6 5.9 .438 - - - 0.6 1.0 .655
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 5 29.8 12.6 2.0 4.0 6.0 2.8 0.6 2.8 1.8 3.6 4.0 8.8 .455 0.0 0.2 .000 4.6 5.6 .821
Wes Unseld 7 42.4 10.1 3.1 9.0 12.1 3.9 0.6 0.1 - 2.1 4.4 9.0 .492 - - - 1.3 2.1 .600

Season 7

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1992-931974-75
Team Miami HeatWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBullets Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 51 27.9 8.3 2.2 3.9 6.1 1.6 0.6 1.4 2.0 3.8 3.0 6.0 .502 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 2.8 .799
Wes Unseld 73 39.8 9.2 4.4 10.4 14.8 4.1 1.6 0.9 - 2.5 3.7 7.5 .502 - - - 1.7 2.5 .685
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 17 43.2 10.7 3.8 12.4 16.2 3.8 0.9 1.2 - 2.3 4.2 7.6 .546 - - - 2.4 3.6 .656

Season 8

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1993-941975-76
Team Miami HeatWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Heat Lost East Conf 1st RdBullets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 76 25.1 7.7 1.7 3.6 5.4 1.8 0.7 1.0 1.2 3.4 2.7 5.7 .477 0.0 0.0 .667 2.2 3.0 .729
Wes Unseld 78 37.5 9.6 3.5 9.8 13.3 5.2 1.1 0.8 - 2.6 4.1 7.3 .561 - - - 1.5 2.5 .585
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 5 40.2 11.0 3.2 4.8 8.0 1.6 0.4 1.0 1.2 4.2 4.4 11.4 .386 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 3.2 .688
Wes Unseld 7 44.3 7.0 3.7 8.4 12.1 4.0 0.9 0.6 - 2.7 2.6 5.6 .462 - - - 1.9 3.4 .542

Season 9

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1994-951976-77
Team Miami HeatWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayBullets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 75 26.1 7.3 1.5 3.0 4.5 1.6 0.6 1.1 1.3 3.7 2.6 5.3 .499 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.8 .739
Wes Unseld 82 34.9 7.8 3.0 7.7 10.7 4.4 1.1 0.5 - 3.1 3.3 6.7 .490 - - - 1.2 2.0 .602
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 9 40.9 7.4 2.7 9.0 11.7 4.9 0.9 0.7 - 3.6 3.3 6.0 .556 - - - 0.8 1.3 .583

Season 10

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1995-961977-78
Team Toronto Raptors, Chicago BullsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 42 16.0 4.4 1.1 2.2 3.3 1.3 0.5 0.6 1.3 2.6 1.5 3.3 .450 0.0 0.0 - 1.4 2.0 .694
Wes Unseld 80 33.1 7.6 3.6 8.4 11.9 4.1 1.2 0.6 2.2 2.9 3.2 6.1 .523 - - - 1.2 2.2 .538
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 16 5.3 0.9 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.3 1.6 0.4 0.7 .545 0.0 0.0 - 0.1 0.4 .286
Wes Unseld 18 37.6 9.4 4.0 8.0 12.0 4.4 0.9 0.4 2.0 3.4 3.9 7.4 .530 - - - 1.5 2.6 .587

Note: John Salley didn't play in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.

Season 11

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season 1999-001978-79
Team Los Angeles LakersWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBullets Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 45 6.7 1.6 0.4 1.0 1.4 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.4 1.5 0.6 1.5 .362 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 0.6 .750
Wes Unseld 77 31.2 10.9 3.6 7.2 10.8 4.1 0.9 0.5 2.0 2.6 4.5 7.8 .577 - - - 2.0 3.1 .643
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley 18 4.2 0.9 0.5 0.7 1.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.9 0.3 0.7 .385 0.0 0.0 - 0.4 0.6 .700
Wes Unseld 19 38.7 10.3 4.7 8.6 13.3 3.4 0.9 0.7 1.6 3.5 4.1 8.3 .494 - - - 2.1 3.4 .609

Season 12

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season -1979-80
Team -Washington Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Bullets Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 82 36.3 9.7 4.1 9.3 13.3 4.5 0.8 0.7 1.9 3.0 4.0 7.8 .513 0.0 0.0 .500 1.7 2.5 .665
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 2 43.5 9.0 3.5 10.5 14.0 3.5 0.0 1.5 1.5 2.5 3.5 7.0 .500 0.0 0.5 .000 2.0 3.0 .667

Season 13

John Salley Wes Unseld
Season -1980-81
Team -Washington Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 63 32.3 8.0 3.3 7.4 10.7 2.7 0.8 0.6 1.5 2.7 3.6 6.8 .524 0.0 0.1 .500 0.9 1.4 .640
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Salley ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld ------- --- ----------