Wesley Person

Wesley Lavon Person (born March 28, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After his playing career, Person became a women's basketball assistant coach and then the head men's basketball coach at Enterprise-Ozark Community College. He was fired from the latter position in 2010.

Selected by the Phoenix Suns 23rd overall in the 1994 NBA draft out of Auburn University, Person played for seven teams throughout his career. He played three seasons for the Suns, five for the Cleveland Cavaliers, 82 games over two seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies, 33 games for the Portland Trail Blazers, nine games for the Atlanta Hawks, sixteen games for the Miami Heat and 25 for the Denver Nuggets. Person retired with career averages of 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. According to Complex Sports, Person is the 13th greatest three-point shooter of all time.

NBA career

Phoenix Suns (1994–1997) On June 29, 1994, the Phoenix Suns drafted Person with the 23rd overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft. Person played his first three seasons in Phoenix, where he averaged 12.2 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game in 240 games. He also had a 45.8% field goal percentage and a 40.7% 3-point percentage. Furthermore, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in his rookie season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1997–2002) On October 1, 1997, Person was involved in a three-team trade in which he was traded with Tony Dumas to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he would spend the majority of his career. Antonio McDyess was traded to the Suns, and three first-round draft picks were traded to the Denver Nuggets. In his first season with Cleveland, he led the NBA in three-pointers made. In five seasons with the franchise, he averaged 12.0 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and 2.0 assists per game. He had a 46.1% field goal percentage and a 42.2 3-point percentage.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life Born in Brantley, Alabama, Person is the younger brother of former NBA player Chuck Person, and was selected by the Maine Red Claws in the 2019 NBA G League draft. Wesley's nephew, Adrian Person, is a former nationally ranked JUCO basketball player who averaged a national best 31 points per game at Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Alabama in 1997.