Buffs great Scott Wedman joins Colorado’s Wall of Honor

Scott Wedman takes center court for his Wall of Honor induction ceremony. (Photo by Christian Blanco/Sko Buffs Sports)

Scott Wedman was inducted into the Colorado Wall of Honor during CU’s matchup against the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday. The former Buffs forward played for the team from 1970 to 1974 before embarking on an NBA career that saw two NBA championships added to his mantle.

The native of Harper, Kansas, moved to the Rocky Mountains before his time in Boulder, as his family relocated to Denver during his high school years. Wedman made the All-State team at Mullen High School before committing to play for the Buffaloes.

While Wedman struggled to find playing time as a freshman, he quickly established himself as a key player in CU’s offense during his sophomore season. He contributed 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game that season, and it was clear Colorado had found the man to build its offense around in the coming seasons.

Wedman’s junior season served as his true breakout, as he became the primary scoring option for the Buffaloes. The 6’7” forward averaged  17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, both team highs. He led the Buffaloes to a second-place finish in the Big 8 that season. Wedman was named First-Team All-Big 8 for the first time in his career.

He was viewed as a rising NBA prospect going into his senior season, and he didn’t disappoint. He averaged 20 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, which were both team highs once again. Despite his performance, the rest of the team struggled mightily. The Buffaloes finished 9-17 (4-10 Big 8), placing them sixth in the Big 8. Wedman was named First-Team All-Big 8 once again and turned his attention to the NBA Draft. 

But while his outstanding season was in vain in terms of team success, he was rewarded the following May, as he was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft by the Kansas City Kings. 

In his NBA career, Wedman played for the Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the All-Rookie First Team following the 1974 season. He made his first All-Star appearance shortly after in 1976. As far as individual accolades go in the NBA, he made one more All-Star game in 1980 and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team that same season. He went on to win two NBA championships with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986, retiring and riding off into the sunset as a champion following the latter. 

In his NBA career, Wedman averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, .9 steals and two assists per game.  

Following his career, Wedman was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, the Colorado University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor in 2016.

In this most recent accolade, Wedman is now enshrined in the CU Events Center and will represent the best of Colorado basketball for generations to come.