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Thirty years ago, Unseld was the cornerstone of the NBA champions Washington Bullets; an undersized center nearing the end of a career, which would ultimately see him named to basketball's Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list.
Also 30 years ago, Unseld and his Bullets created history by becoming the first NBA team to visit China after team owner Abe Pollin accepted an invitation from late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.
Following closely on the heels of ping-pong diplomacy, the trip marked another small but significant step in the gradual opening of ties between the United States and China.
The country was very different then, Unseld says of that trip 30 years ago, and he was just along to enjoy the ride.
"I didn't realize the historic significance of the tour in 1979," Unseld, 63, says.
"I never saw it that way. I thought of it as a tremendous opportunity to see something a lot of people had never had an opportunity to see.
"All the history and culture; to get an opportunity to experience that was the most important thing I'd played basketball all over the world, so that was kind of secondary," he says of the trip which included games against China's national team and the People's Liberation Army's Bayi side (for those keeping count, Washington won both encounters).
"What strikes me now is the change - it's a completely different place. When we got to Beijing in '79, I think they told us there was only one air-conditioned hotel in the city - and we weren't staying in it!
"There are thousands of cars now and back then you couldn't cross the street for bicycles the transformation is amazing, just so different."
The basketball landscape has also altered dramatically in those same 30 years with the game arguably the most popular in the land.
If Unseld and his Bullets, now called the Wizards, pried the door open in China for the NBA; Michael Jordan blew it off its hinges less than a decade later.
Industrious adults today freely admit to skipping school simply to watch the Chicago Bulls' legend "fly".
His on-court feats were otherworldly but his interests off the court had a far greater impact on China and NBA relations.
The Bald One's image and shoes were everywhere, which had the dual effect of further popularizing the game in China while also showing the NBA the tremendous market potential of the Middle Kingdom - China is NBA's largest overseas market with a record 1.6 billion viewers watched NBA television programming last season.
A side branch has been the slow emergence of Chinese talent into the world's premier basketball competition.
The Houston Rockets' giant center, Yao Ming, was at the vanguard and followed by the likes of Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue.
However, as Unseld points out, China had good players in his day too and made special mention of Yao prototype Mu Tiezhu, who passed away last year just after the Beijing Games.
The less heralded women's team has performed significantly better, claiming silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona along with World Championship silver in 1994 and bronze back in 1983.
While young Yaos pound the playground courts with distant hopes of NBA glory, across the Pacific far more worldly NBA executives have dreams of their own - the huge China market.
Out of the 16 NBA marketing partners of the 2008-09 season, six are coming from China, plus three Chinese promotional partners.
The Rockets (Yao) and New Jersey Nets (Yi) have Chinese stars they can market while the major franchises, led by the Los Angeles Lakers (Kobe Bryant) and Boston Celtics (Kevin Garnett), aim to sell on the strength of their brand-name as well as that of their stars.
Washington, basically in the NBA hinterland since that title in 1979, are not only pushing their stars (Caron Butler, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison) and the franchise but the nation's capital itself.
"We want to develop relationships with Chinese companies," Wizards president Peter Biche said during the team's anniversary tour.
"When you have a partner in Washington you have a set of eyeballs different from anywhere else because it's where our legislators are, every trade association is based in Washington.
"You won't find that anywhere else in the US. I'm trying to sell Washington's high-powered eyeballs to China."
Yes, Wes, it's all changed, it's all changed.
Time line
August 1979
The Washington Bullets (now Wizards) plays two exhibition games against the Chinese National basketball team and the Bayi Rockets team.
June 8, 1994
CCTV broadcasts Game #1 of the 1994 NBA Finals live. The network televised all seven games of the NBA Finals, marking the first time every game of the NBA Finals has ever been carried live in China.
June 30, 1999
Wang Zhizhi becomes the second international player of Chinese descent to be drafted to the NBA. Sung Tao, who is the first Asian player to be drafted, is selected by the Atlanta Hawks in 1987.
April 5, 2001
Wang Zhizhi makes history as the first NBA player from China when he signs with the Dallas Mavericks on April 4 and plays his first NBA game.
Feb 27, 2002
Mengke Bateer becomes the second player from China to play in the NBA.
June 26, 2002
Yao Ming is selected by the Houston Rockets as the No 1 Draft Pick.
Oct 8, 2002
The NBA officially opens an office in Beijing.
Oct 30, 2002
Yao Ming becomes the third Chinese to play in the NBA.
Feb 11, 2003
Yao Ming becomes the first Asian to participate in the NBA All-Star Game.
Oct 14 and Oct 17, 2004
The first NBA games in China takes place.
Oct 17-18, 20, 2007
The second NBA China Games are hosted.
Oct 15-18, 2008
The NBA China Games returns to China with two games.