Wes Unseld knew this teammate, not him, deserved the '78 Finals MVP award: 'He looked at me, and he gave me the acknowledgment'

About ten years after the Washington Bullets won the 1978 NBA Finals, two of their former players participated in a roast. Wes Unseld, who controversially won the Finals MVP that year, was the guest of honor, while Bob Dandridge was one of the roasters.

When the latter took the stage, he seized the opportunity to express a long-held belief: Dandrige quipped that he, not Unseld, should have won the said Finals MVP award. Interestingly, "The Wide U" seemed to agree.

"It was about 500 people in there, and everybody was like gasping for air, not breathing, and I looked at Wes, and he looked at me, and he gave me the acknowledgment that, you know, you're right," recounted Dandrige in a "HoopStorians" interview on "Chill Town Hoops."

The truth behind Unseld's Finals MVP

The origin of this "long-held belief" becomes clear when looking at Unseld's stats from that seven-game Finals series. Playing against the Seattle Supersonics, the late Wizards legend averaged just 11.7 rebounds, 9.0 points, and 3.9 assists. With all due respect to the Hall of Fame big, those numbers are, quite frankly, among the least impressive Finals MVP stats ever.

Given this context, it's no wonder that other Bullets players, particularly Dandridge, garnered more praise during the series. This was well-deserved, as the Virginia native averaged an impressive 20.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Significantly contributing to the Bullets' title win, the guard-forward combo was set for recognition.

As the footage from the dying seconds of Game 7 shows, it was announced during the broadcast that "Bobby D" would soon receive the Finals MVP trophy.

The award decision was influenced by other factors

Besides Dandridge, another player from that roster, Elvin Hayes, outperformed "The Wide U" in nearly every major category. So, what led to the surprising decision to, nevertheless, award Wes the trophy?

Nearly 46 years later, the Hall of Famer Dandridge, now in his mid-70s, offered some insight, although he noted that he doesn't like to "project things." The Virginia native suggested that part of the reason might be that he wasn't really a "politically correct guy" back then—unlike Unseld. The 1969 MVP had a much stronger presence within the organization and throughout the league.

"Wes was the face of the franchise. He was the owner's favorite player and a politically correct guy…he was the favorite," recounted "Bobby D."

However, Dandrige never made a big deal out of it, partly because he understood that "things like that happen in sports," and that hasn't changed to this day.

"I mean, even in sports now, right, you know certain guys are gonna be pushed ahead of others," he emphasized.

Ultimately, it can only be hoped that the Milwaukee Bucks legend understands that many people still view him as the true rightful winner of the 1978 Finals MVP trophy, even after all these years. More importantly, as evidenced, Unseld himself acknowledged this as well.