BIO: David Wear was born in Long Beach, California (USA) where he attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. There he was a two-time California Interscholastic Federation State champion in 2007 and 2008.

As a junior, he averaged 180.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

As a senior, he averaged 16.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

As a sophomore Wear was named all-state sophomore in 2007. In 2009, Wear was selected as the county boys’ basketball player of the year, a fourth-team Parade All-American, a repeat first team all-county member, first team All-Division I-AA member, first team all-league member, second team all-state, and a All-American during his senior year.

NBL EXPERIENCE

David Wear made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 28 years of age. He scored five points in his first game.

Sydney entered the 2018-19 season with high expectations after making several key signings, including Andrew Bogut, who returned to Australia after 14 seasons in the NBA, including winning an NBA championship in 2015 with Golden State.

The Kings were the first team to take advantage of the NBL’s newly established Next Stars program, signing highly touted prospect Brian Bowen, a McDonald’s All-American who opted to play in the NBL to develop his skills for the NBA Draft. Other key additions included Jerome Randle, David Wear (via Spain), Deng Deng (via Big V – McKinnon), Kyle Adnam (via Melbourne), and Tom Wilson (via Melbourne).

David Wear (6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists), who signed a two-year deal (second year team option), didn’t deliver the impact the team had hoped for but did step up in several important games. His best performances of the season included 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in a win (94-79) over Brisbane on January 13, 2019; 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in a victory (98-93) over Adelaide on January 5, 2019; and 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist in a win (81-70) over Cairns on December 16, 2018.

Last night was insane!

It ended in a @SydneyKings win over the @PerthWildcats, thanks to this game-winner from David Wear. pic.twitter.com/ZH8RC69SoZ

— FOX Basketball (@FoxBasketball) December 14, 2018

Wear’s contributions as a stretch forward were crucial for Sydney, particularly when it came to creating space for key players like Kevin Lisch (14.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) and Jerome Randle (17.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists), who led the team offensively. Andrew Bogut (11.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.7 blocks) was the anchor of the team’s defense, earning NBL Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year honours.

The Kings finished the regular season in third place with an 18-10 record, setting themselves up for a semifinal matchup against Melbourne United.

In the playoffs, Sydney faced Melbourne United in the semifinals. In Game 1 (95-73), Wear contributed 8 points and 5 rebounds, but the Kings struggled against Melbourne’s depth and physicality. Casper Ware (22 points, 7 assists) and DJ Kennedy (20 points, 7 rebounds) led Melbourne’s charge, while Kevin Lisch (13 points) and Jerome Randle (13 points) were the top performers for Sydney. Andrew Bogut (7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) had a quiet game, which hurt Sydney’s chances.

In Game 2 (90-76), Wear added 7 points and 3 rebounds, but Melbourne’s Casper Ware (30 points, 5 rebounds) and Chris Goulding (23 points, 4 rebounds) were too much for the Kings. Kevin Lisch (13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) and Kyle Adnam (13 points) did their best to keep Sydney competitive, while Andrew Bogut (10 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists) bounced back after a quieter Game 1. Despite these efforts, the Kings were eliminated from the playoffs, falling short of advancing to the Grand Final.

During the off-season, Sydney chose not to take the option on Wear’s second year of his contract.

David Wear played one season in the NBL. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 30 NBL games.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (836 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.