Wear attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California where he was a two-time California Interscholastic Federation State champion in 2007 and 2008. As a junior, he averaged 18.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. As a senior, he averaged 16.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Wear was selected as the 2009 county boys' basketball player of the year, a 2009 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 in 2009, and an all-state sophomore in 2007. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Wear was listed as the No. 16 power forward and the No. 59 player in the nation in 2009.
College career
Wear and his twin brother, Travis, played for the defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels in their freshman year. Wear contributed 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds a game while averaging over 10 minutes per game. The Tar Heels missed the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, which upset their fans. Brother Travis said playing for North Carolina "wasn't what I thought it would be." The twin brothers transferred after the season in May 2010 to UCLA. They redshirted the following season due to NCAA transfer rules. UCLA won the Pac-12 Conference championship in 2012–13. However, UCLA coach Ben Howland was fired after the season, prompting Wear and his brother to consider transferring. After meeting with incoming coach Steve Alford, the brothers were convinced they fit as starters in the new coach's system. On January 26, 2014, Wear scored a career-high 18 points against California, eclipsing his previous high of 17 in 2011, also against Cal. At the team's annual banquet after the 2013–14 season, Wear was awarded the Irv Pohlmeyer Memorial Trophy, for being the team’s top defensive player. He graduated following the season.
Professional career
D-League and NBA (2014–2016)
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Wear joined the Chicago Bulls for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On September 25, 2014, he signed with the Sacramento Kings. However, he was later waived by the Kings on October 19, 2014. On November 2, 2014, he was acquired by the Reno Bighorns as an affiliate player. Wear's shooting ability allowed him to thrive in Coach David Arseneault Jr.'s run-and-gun system, and he was invited to participate in the Three-Point Contest during the 2015 D-League All-Star Weekend. On March 23, 2015, Wear signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings. He was not retained by the Kings following the expiration of his 10-day contract on April 2. In July 2015, Wear joined the Detroit Pistons for the Orlando Summer League and the Sacramento Kings for the Las Vegas Summer League.
Overseas (2016–present)
On August 10, 2015, Wear signed with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada of Spain for the 2015–16 season. On August 1, 2016, he re-signed with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada for the 2016–17 season. In 2017–18, Wear moved to Japan to play with Osaka Evessa in the B.League and played with the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League in 2018–19.
National team career
In July 2008, Wear won a silver medal playing for the USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Formosa, Argentina.
Career statistics
NBA statistics
College statistics
Personal
Wear is the son of David Sr. and Gloria Wear. His father played college basketball at Fresno State and Cal State Fullerton and professionally overseas. His twin brother, Travis, also became a pro basketball player. Wear's wife Christina played basketball professionally overseas.
