Wesley Joel Matthews Jr. (born October 14, 1986) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Marquette Golden Eagles. He is the son of former NBA player

Wes Matthews 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 curren ...

Early life

Matthews was born in San Antonio, Texas to Wesley Sr., a former NBA point guard and two-time

NBA champion The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Co ...

with the

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, and Pam Moore, an All-American runner and basketball player. Matthews starred on the James Madison Memorial High School basketball and soccer teams. He was named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball in 2005.

College career

Matthews chose to attend

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of ...

despite being pressured to play for the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

like his father. Wesley was the biggest of the "three amigos", the three guards in the starting lineup for Marquette. This trio, Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Matthews, started nearly every game together from their first year onwards. With the lack of height in the 2008–09 season at Marquette, Matthews learned to play against bigger opponents and became one of the most dominant players in the nation driving to the basket. He grabbed 13 rebounds in a Marquette 48-point win over Division II opponent Lewis Flyers on December 28, 2005. In a game against the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

on December 16, 2008, Matthews scored a career-high 30 points, making 15 of 18

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

s. On January 7, 2009, he set a school record for field goal accuracy (minimum 10 attempts) when he went 10-for-10 en route to 23 points in an 81–76 win over

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...

Professional basketball career

Utah Jazz (2009–2010)

After going undrafted in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...

, Matthews joined the Utah Jazz for the Orlando Summer League and the Sacramento Kings for the Las Vegas Summer League. In September 2009, he signed a one-year deal with the Jazz. In February 2010, after the team's trade of

Ronnie Brewer Ronnie Brewer (born March 20, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Brewer played collegiately at the University of Arkansas, where his father Ron Brewer was a star in the late 1970s. Brewer is known for having an unorthod ...

, head coach

Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...

made Matthews the team's starting shooting guard. The following month, on March 14, Matthews scored a then-career-high 29 points, including six made three-point shots, in a 119-111 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On June 29, 2010, the Jazz extended Matthews the league-specified qualifying offer, thereby making him a restricted free agent and giving the Jazz the opportunity to match any other free agent offer.

Portland Trail Blazers (2010–2015)

On July 10, 2010, the Trail Blazers signed Matthews to a five-year, $34 million offer sheet. On July 21, 2010, following the Jazz's decision not to match the Trail Blazers' offer sheet, Matthews officially signed the five-year, $34 million contract. In his first season with Portland, Matthews averaged 15.9 points per game, and his three-point shot improved from 38 percent to 41 percent. After Brandon Roy began missing time due to knee problems, Matthews gained a spot in the Blazers' starting lineup. The durable Matthews played in 250 consecutive NBA games before being forced to sit out of a game on December 10, 2012, due to an injury to his left hip. Matthews' ability and willingness to play through minor injuries and pain earned him the nickname "Iron Man", an appellation used by Trail Blazers fans, television and radio commentators, and arena public address announcers alike. On November 23, 2013, in a game against the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, Matthews was involved in an altercation and was ejected along with teammate,

Mo Williams Maurice Williams (born December 19, 1982) is the head men's basketball coach at Jackson State University and a former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high scho ...

. He scored 23 points in 25 minutes of action before leaving the game. On November 25 it was announced that he was fined $20,000. On January 17, 2015, Matthews became the Trail Blazers all-time career leader in three-point field goals made, surpassing Terry Porter's franchise record of 773. On March 5, 2015, in a game against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

, Matthews tore his left achilles tendon and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season.

Dallas Mavericks (2015–2019)

On July 9, 2015, Matthews signed a four-year, $70 million deal with the

. On December 6, 2015, he scored 28 of his season-high 36 points in the second half of the Mavericks' 116–104 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. He hit 10 three-pointers in the game, with eight of them coming in the second half. On November 30, 2016, Matthews scored a season-high 26 points in a 94–87 loss to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. He tied that mark three times in early December. Matthews set a new season high on February 3, 2017, scoring 27 points in a 108–104 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On November 18, 2017, Matthews scored a season-high 22 points in a 111–79 win over the

. On December 8, 2017, he set a new season high with 29 points in a 109–102 loss to Milwaukee. On January 24, 2018, he matched a pair of season highs with 29 points and seven 3-pointers in a 104–97 loss to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. On February 13, 2018, in a 114–109 loss to

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

, Matthews became the seventh Dallas player to hit 500 3-pointers with the team. On April 30, 2018, Matthews exercised his player option for the 2018–19 season. In January 2019, Matthews became the sixth player in Mavericks history to make 600 3-pointers, and the first undrafted player in NBA history (and 31st overall) to make 1,500 3-pointers.

New York Knicks (2019)

On January 31, 2019, Matthews was traded to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in a multiplayer trade. On February 7, Matthews was waived by the Knicks after appearing in just two games for the team.

Indiana Pacers (2019)

On February 10, 2019, Matthews signed with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

. On February 22, Matthews made 6 three-pointers and finished with 24 points, to lead the Pacers in a comeback win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

Milwaukee Bucks (2019–2020)

On July 12, 2019, Matthews signed with the

. On November 25, 2019, Matthews scored 19 points and grabbed 4 rebounds while starting in place of injured All-Star Khris Middleton in a game against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. On December 22, he again scored 19 points, this time in a win against his previous team, the Pacers.

Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)

On November 22, 2020, Matthews signed with the

. He appeared in 58 games for the Lakers, averaging only 4.8 points and a career-worst 33% 3-point shot percentage.

Return to Milwaukee (2021–present)

On December 3, 2021, Matthews was signed by the

. During Milwaukee’s Christmas Day game, Matthews scored just 9 points, but gave the Bucks the lead by making a 3-point shot with 30 seconds left to help complete a 19-point come back, in a 117–113 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. Matthews was inserted into the starting lineup by

Mike Budenholzer Michael Vincent Budenholzer (born August 6, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the Bucks, he spent five seasons as head coac ...

towards the end of the regular season to provide a defensive presence alongside

All-Defensive The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

guard Jrue Holiday. On July 6, 2022, Matthews re-signed with the Bucks.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, 82 , , 48 , , 24.7 , , .483, , .382 , , .829 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .2 , , 9.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 82 , , 69 , , 33.6 , , .449 , , .407 , , .844 , , 3.1 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 15.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 66 , , 53 , , 33.8 , , .412 , , .383 , , .860 , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 13.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 69 , , 69 , , 34.8 , , .436 , , .398 , , .797 , , 2.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 14.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 82 , , 82 , , 34.0 , , .441 , , .393 , , .837 , , 3.5 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 16.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 60 , , 60 , , 33.7 , , .448 , , .389 , , .752 , , 3.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 15.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, 78 , , 78 , , 33.9 , , .388 , , .360 , , .863 , , 3.1 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 73 , , 34.2 , , .393 , , .363 , , .816 , , 3.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 62 , , 33.8 , , .406 , , .381 , , .822 , , 3.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 44 , , 44 , , 29.8 , , .414 , , .380 , , .791 , , 2.3 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 2 , , 1 , , 27.0 , , .211 , , .200 , , .800 , , 1.5 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 23 , , 23 , , 31.5 , , .386 , , .369 , , .854 , , 2.8 , , 2.4 , , .9 , , .2 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 67 , , 67 , , 24.4 , , .396 , , .364 , , .765 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .1 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 58 , , 10 , , 19.5 , , .353 , , .335 , , .854 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .7 , , .3 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , 14 , , 20.4 , , .395 , , .338 , , .786 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 898 , , 753 , , 30.5 , , .421 , , .377 , , .824 , , 2.9 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 12.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 37.1 , , .386 , , .357 , , .813 , , 4.4 , , 1.7 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 13.2 , - , align="left" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, align="left" , Portland , 6 , , 6 , , 33.7 , , .474 , , .381 , , .842 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, align="left" , Portland , 11 , , 11 , , 38.7 , , .412 , , .324 , , .813 , , 3.8 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 34.6 , , .333 , , .286 , , .789 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 29.8 , , .300 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 2.5 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 24.6 , , .421 , , .395 , , .700 , , 1.8 , , .9 , , .9 , , .4 , , 7.2 , - , align="left" ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, align="left" ,

, 6 , , 1 , , 18.3 , , .303 , , .280 , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 5.5 , - , align="left" ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , 12 , , 28.7 , , .391 , , .400 , , .667 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .3 , , 6.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 64 , , 59 , , 31.1 , , .390 , , .347 , , .808 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 10.0

College

, - , align="left" , 2005–06 , align="left" , Marquette , 23 , , 13 , , 24.9 , , .399 , , .438 , , .788 , , 4.0 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 9.0 , - , align="left" , 2006–07 , align="left" , Marquette , 34 , , 34 , , 31.2 , , .438 , , .288 , , .770 , , 5.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" , Marquette , 35 , , 35 , , 28.9 , , .434 , , .313 , , .790 , , 4.4 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , 2008–09 , align="left" , Marquette , 35 , , 35 , , 34.0 , , .475 , , .368 , , .829 , , 5.7 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 18.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 127 , , 117 , , 30.2 , , .444 , , .341 , , .799 , , 4.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 13.2

References

External links

*
Marquette Golden Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Wesley 1986 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from San Antonio Basketball players from Wisconsin Dallas Mavericks players Los Angeles Lakers players Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball players Milwaukee Bucks players New York Knicks players Portland Trail Blazers players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Madison, Wisconsin Undrafted National Basketball Association players Utah Jazz players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people

Early life

College career

Professional basketball career

Utah Jazz (2009–2010)

Portland Trail Blazers (2010–2015)

Dallas Mavericks (2015–2019)

New York Knicks (2019)

Indiana Pacers (2019)

Milwaukee Bucks (2019–2020)

Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)

Return to Milwaukee (2021–present)

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

See also

References

External links