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The Kansas City Kings selected
Wedman sixth overall in the 1974 NBA Draft, but they weren’t the only team
intrigued with his picture-perfect jumper; Memphis from the rival ABA made a
play for his services, convinced that his game would flourish in the
league’s wide-open, three-point atmosphere.
 It was a tempting offer, but at
the end of the day Wedman wanted to play in a more established league – and
against the best basketball talent in the world. It didn’t hurt that Kansas
City was close to home, and that the team boasted one of the finest
playmakers in NBA history in Nate “Tiny” Archibald. An All-Rookie nod
validated not only Kansas City’s faith in Wedman, who had passed over solid
talent such as Keith (later Jamaal) Wilkes, but also Wedman’s faith in
himself. He realized quickly that he could play with the best, and that he
could do so at a consistently high level. The games became shooting
clinics. And then there were those occasions when Wedman was simply
otherworldly: Witness his 45-point (on 19-of-31 shooting), 12 rebound,
seven assist night against the Utah Jazz in 1980. Even more impressive was
that the majority of Wedman’s points came at the expense of Jazz All-Star
Adrian Dantley.
Free agency took Wedman to
Cleveland (summer of 1981), and thus began a short-lived, ill-fated stint
with the woeful Cavaliers. In hindsight it may not have been the best move,
but it did set the stage for the 1983 midseason trade to the Boston
Celtics. There would be adjustments all-around – by Wedman, who had been a
starter and offensive focal point for so long; by head coach Bill Fitch, who
had to figure a way to fit Wedman into the rotation; and by the Celtic
players, who were gaining this unknown variable in the middle of the season
and were trying to repeat as NBA champions. A playoff sweep at the hands of
the Milwaukee Bucks cast further doubt on the transaction, but Wedman used
the summer to rededicate himself to basketball. By 1984, the Celtics were
once again NBA royalty, defeating the hated L.A. Lakers for the team’s
fifteenth banner. Wedman, now comfortable in the role of instant offense
off of the bench, had helped turn the Celtics into a deeper, more dangerous
squad. And, at long last, he was finally on a championship team.
Los Angeles would get its revenge the
following season, but not before Wedman had put on one of the greatest
shooting exhibitions in NBA history. In Game 1 of the 1985 NBA Finals,
Wedman finished a perfect 11-for-11 from the floor. Four of those shots
were three-pointers. The 148-114 rout became known as the Boston Massacre,
and Wedman’s fingerprints would be indelibly linked to the crime.
1986 brought the arrival of Bill
Walton to Boston, and the Celtics now had the deepest bench in the NBA.
With Walton, Wedman and Jerry Sichting in the rotation, Boston rampaged
through the regular season en route to its sixteenth crown. That team is
still recognized as one of the greatest ever.
Scott Wedman would retire one season later, but his mark – and his
marksmanship – will never be forgotten. He remains a class act in every
sense of the word, a thoughtful, introspective man who has been kind enough
to grace Celtic Nation with this interview. It is with great pleasure that
we share his story with you.
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