Charlotte Hornets: 15 greatest scorers of all-time
By John Buhler
8. player. 170. . PG/SG. (1997-04). David Wesley
- 14.5 PPG, 5,241 points, 5 Charlotte seasons
- 42.5 career field goal percentage w/Charlotte
- 35.4 career 3-point percentage w/Charlotte
- 362 career games, 358 career starts w/Charlotte
David Wesley carved out a solid 14-year NBA career after going undrafted out of Baylor University. He might have been the old Southwest Conference’s co-player of the year in 1992, but Wesley had to grind to have staying power in the NBA. Wesley did just that during his 7.5 seasons with the Hornets from 1997 to 2004.
He spent his first several professional seasons split between the CBA’s Wichita Falls Texans, the then-New Jersey Nets and the Boston Celtics before arriving in Charlotte in 1997. After signing with the Hornets that summer, he would go on to spend the bulk of his NBA career with that franchise.
Wesley was initially a point guard at the professional level, but ultimately switched to shooting guard in 2000-01 at age 30. Scouts doubted that the 6-foot-1 guard could thrive at point guard in the NBA, but he proved doubters wrong with his great on-ball defense and his clutch shooting from the outside.
Wesley averaged 14.5 points per game in his five Charlotte seasons. He accumulated 5,241 points in his time in Charlotte, where he shot a career 42.5 percent from the field and an impressive 35.4 percent from beyond the arc. This led to Wesley starting 358 games out of 362 in Charlotte uniform.
The Hornets made the playoffs four times with Wesley starting in the backcourt during their first stint in Charlotte. He made 32 postseason starts, averaging 13.9 points on 41.1 percent shooting. Wesley was on two more playoff teams with the Hornets after they relocated to New Orleans after the 2001-02 NBA season.
It should be noted that Wesley was involved in the car crash that resulted in his former teammate Bobby Phills’ death in 2000. Wesley was charged with a misdemeanor for reckless driving, but later had the charge acquitted without having to go to trial.
In 2004, the Hornets traded Wesley mid-season to the Houston Rockets where he would play part of the next two seasons. Wesley would then sign as a free agent with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006, where he would ride pine on Cleveland’s first NBA Finals team led by LeBron James. That would prove to be his final professional basketball season on the hardwood.