Quick Facts
| Intro | American basketball player | ||||
| Is | Athlete Basketball player | ||||
| From | United States of America | ||||
| Field | Sports | ||||
| Gender | male | ||||
| Birth | 3 March 1947, San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, U.S.A. | ||||
| Age | 76 years | ||||
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Biography
Willie M. Wise (born March 3, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player.
A 6'6" forward from Drake University, Wise earned a spot on the American Basketball Association's (ABA) Los Angeles (later Utah) Stars in 1969. He would prove to be one of the best all-around players in the league, as he was both a proficient scorer (19.2 points per game during his ABA career) and a highly esteemed defender. Indeed, while playing for the Stars, who won the 1971 ABA Championship, Sports Illustrated described him as "the best two-way performer in pro basketball". Wise later played with the Virginia Squires.
After the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, Wise played one full season and part of a second in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics.
On 7 February 2009, Drake University retired Wise's #42 jersey that he wore for the Bulldogs.