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The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Washington, D.C. The Wizards play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Capital One Arena, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers based in Chicago, Illinois, and were renamed to Chicago Zephyrs the following season. In 1963, they relocated to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking the name from a previous team of the same name. In 1973, the team changed its name to the Capital Bullets to reflect their move to the Washington metropolitan area, and then to Washington Bullets in the following season. In 1997, they rebranded themselves as the Wizards.
The Wizards have appeared in four NBA Finals, and won in 1978. They have won four conference titles (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979), and seven division titles (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 2017). Wes Unseld is the only player in franchise history to become the MVP (1969), and win the Finals MVP Award (1978). Four players (Unseld, Walt Bellamy, Terry Dischinger, and Earl Monroe) have won the Rookie of the Year Award.
Home arenas[]
Chicago Packers
- International Amphitheatre (1961–1962)
Chicago Zephyrs
- Chicago Coliseum (1962–1963)
Baltimore Bullets
- Baltimore Civic Center (later the Baltimore Arena, now 1st Mariner Arena) (1963–1973)
Capital/Washington Bullets
- US Airways Arena (originally known as Capital Centre) (1973–1997)
Washington Wizards
- Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center and MCI Center) (1997–present)
Franchise history[]
1961–1968: The early years[]
The team now known as the Wizards began playing as the Chicago Packers in 1961, as the first modern expansion team in NBA history, an expansion prompted by Abe Saperstein's American Basketball League. Rookie Walt Bellamy was the team's star, averaging 31.6 points per game, 19.0 rebounds per game, and leading the NBA in field goal percentage. During the All-Star game, Bellamy represented the team while scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Bellamy was named the league Rookie of the Year, but the team finished with the NBA's worst record at 18–62.
The team's original nickname was a nod to Chicago's meatpacking industry; their home arena, the International Amphitheater, was next door to the Union Stock Yards. However, it was extremely unpopular since it was the same nickname used by the NFL's Green Bay Packers, bitter rivals of the Chicago Bears. After only one year, the organization changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs and played its home games at the Chicago Coliseum (Saperstein's ABL Majors prevented the team from playing in the larger Chicago Stadium). Their only season as the Zephyrs boasted former Purdue star Terry Dischinger, who went on to win Rookie of the Year honors.
In 1963, the franchise moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking their name from a 1940s–'50s Baltimore Bullets BAA/NBA franchise and playing home games at the Baltimore Civic Center (the NBA would return to Chicago in 1966 when the Chicago Bulls began play). In their first year in Baltimore, the Bullets finished fourth in a five–team Western Division.
Prior to the 1964–65 season, the Bullets pulled off a blockbuster trade, sending Dischinger, Rod Thorn, and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry, and Wali Jones. The trade worked out well; Howell proved to be a hustler and a fundamentally sound player. He helped the Bullets reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. In the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Bullets stunned the St. Louis Hawks 3–1, and advanced to the Western Conference finals. In the Finals, Baltimore managed to split the first four games with the Los Angeles Lakers before losing the series 4–2.
1968–1981: The Wes Unseld era[]
In 1968, the Bullets got two future Hall of Famers: Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld. The team improved dramatically, from 36 wins the previous season to 57 in the 1968-69 season, and Unseld received both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. The Bullets made the playoffs with high expectations to go further, but they went back down to earth as they were eliminated by the New York Knicks that season in the first round. The next season the two teams met again in the first round, and although this one went to 7 games, the Knicks barely advanced to the next round.
In the 1970–71 season, the 42–40 Bullets again met the New York Knicks, this time though in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the Knicks team captain Willis Reed injured in the finals, the injury-free Bullets took advantage of his absence, and in Game 7 at New York's Madison Square Garden, the Bullets' Gus Johnson made a critical basket late in the game to lift the Bullets over the Knicks 93–91 and advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. They were swept in four games by the powerful Milwaukee Bucks.
Even when Monroe was traded, the Bullets remained a playoff contender throughout the 1970s. After a less than spectacular 1971–72 NBA season, the Bullets improved dramatically by acquiring Elvin Hayes from the Houston Rockets and drafting Kevin Porter.
After a slow start the Bullets began to make their charge in December, posting a 10-4 record on the way to capturing the Central Division Title for the 3rd straight year. In the NBA Playoffs, they would face the Knicks with Monroe in the 1973 NBA Playoffs, but the Bullets did not have a chance as they were beaten by the Knicks who went on to win an NBA Championship that year.
In 1973, the team moved to Landover, Maryland and became the Capital Bullets, and they changed their name to the Washington Bullets the next season.
During November 1973, while waiting for the completion of their new arena in Landover, the Bullets played their home games at Cole Field House on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. The Capital Centre (later known as the USAir/US Airways Arena) opened on December 2, 1973, with the Bullets defeating the Sonics. Through the mid-1990s, the Bullets still played a few games per season in Baltimore.
The 60–22 Bullets made it back to the 1975 NBA Playoffs, that year they posted a 36–5 home record at the Capital Centre. In the first round of the playoffs, they survived a 7-game war against the Buffalo Braves as both teams won all of their games at home. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they beat the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics in 6 games to advance to the NBA Finals. The Bullets were favorites to win the NBA Championship, but were shockingly swept by the Rick Barry-led Golden State Warriors in 4 games. They lost games 1 and 4 at the Capital Centre.
The loss at the NBA Finals lingered into the 1975-76 NBA season as they won 12 fewer games than last year, and in the Playoffs they were shockingly eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 7-game shootout, even worse after the season the Bullets fired head coach K.C. Jones, despite having a career 62% winning percentage as the Bullets head coach.
In the 1976-77 NBA season, under new head coach Dick Motta, the Bullets would again fall short of the Central Division title for the second straight year. Elvin Hayes finished 6th in the league in rebounds with 12.5 rebounds per game. After opening the 1977 NBA Playoffs with a 3-game series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bullets got off to a good start in the second round of the playoffs as they take a 2–1 series lead against the Houston Rockets. However with a chance to take a 3–1 series lead at home, the Bullets would lose 107–103 as the Rockets went on take the series in 6 games.
1977–78 season: First NBA championship[]
Although they had future hall of famers Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld on the team, the Bullets finished the season 44–38 and were a longshot to win the NBA Championship, but coach Dick Motta used the famed phrase "The opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings!" This became the rallying cry for the Bullets as they finished a playoff run that led to the NBA Finals, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in 7 games to bring a professional sports championship to Washington D.C. for the first time in 36 years.
1978–79[]
The Bullets were the best team in a league that already had drug problems, selfish team play, on-court fights, and declining attendance. Now in the 1978-79 NBA season the Bullets moved to the Atlantic Division, but the team continued to play well as they easily captured the Atlantic Division title. However, they entered the 1979 NBA Playoffs by losing 8 of the final 11 games to finish the regular season at 54-28. In the playoffs the Bullets nearly blew a 3 games to 1 lead against the Atlanta Hawks, but still they beat the Hawks in 7 games.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, they trailed the San Antonio Spurs 3 games to 1, but they mounted a big comeback by winning 2 straight games to force a Game 7 at the Cap Center. The Bullets would rally again, overcoming a 4th-quarter deficit to beat George Gervin and the Spurs 107-105 in one of the NBA's all-time greatest games and advance to the NBA Finals and a rematch with the Seattle SuperSonics. In Game 1, the Bullets defeated the Sonics 99–97 on two game winning free throws, but that was the high point of the series as the Sonics would win four straight to beat the Bullets in 5 games and become the NBA champions.
1979–1988: Playoff disappointments[]
1979–1981[]
After a great decade, age, and injuries finally caught up with the Bullets. In the 1979-80 NBA season, they barely made the playoffs as they capture the sixth and final playoff spot with a tiebreaker despite posting a 39-43 record. In the playoffs, they were swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in a 2-game playoff series. The following year the Bullets failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, after the season, Wes Unseld retired and Elvin Hayes was traded to the Houston Rockets where he would finish his career there, ending a great chapter in the Bullets history.
1981–82[]
With Hayes and Unseld gone, the team was now mediocre as ever. They played strong, finishing the regular season with a 43-39 record, and although they advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals in the playoffs, they had clearly lost their form of the late 70's.
1982–83[]
The Bullets continue to play with the same talent that they had in the previous year. They finished with a winning record, but in a highly competitive Atlantic Division they finished last and missed the playoffs.
1983–85[]
The next two years saw the Bullets continue to play mediocre basketball as they finished with losing records, but they made the playoffs in the new expanded NBA Playoffs format that involved the 16 best teams to make the playoffs, the Bullets were eliminated in both years in the first round of the playoffs.
1985–86[]
In the 1985-86 season, the Bullets got a big man named Manute Bol, whose specialty was blocking shots. That year, he blocked 397 shots (a Bullets record), part of a team that blocked 716 shots (a Bullets team record). But the Bullets finished with a disappointing 39-43 record, and were eliminated by the 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
1986–87[]
The Bullets acquire center Moses Malone from the Philadelphia 76ers for center Jeff Ruland. Moses would lead the team in scoring with a 24.1 points per game as he would be joined by Jeff Malone who averaged 22.0 points per game. The Bullets' 42-40 record would be their last winning season until the 1996-97 NBA season, in the playoffs they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in 3 games.
1987–88[]
To balance Manute Bol, who at 7'7" is the tallest player in NBA history, the Bullets drafted Muggsy Bogues who at 5'3" is the smallest player in NBA history. The Bullets would get off to a slow start as coach Kevin Loughery is fired 27 games into the season with the Bullets holding an 8-19 record. To replace Loughery, the Bullets hired former MVP Wes Unseld. Under Unseld the Bullets played much better as they were able to sneak into the playoffs again with a record of 38–44. After losing the first 2 games on the road in the first round of the 1988 NBA Playoffs to the Detroit Pistons, the Bullets fought back and forced a 5th game with 2 home wins. However, back in Detroit for game 5, the Bullets are beaten by 21 points and were eliminated in the playoffs. It would be 9 years before the Bullets would return to the NBA Playoffs.
1988–89[]
The Bullets played a little better as they finished with a 40–42 record, but they missed the playoffs by two games.
1989–1997: Final years as the Bullets[]
1989–90[]
The Bullets got off to a 5–1 start, but hopes of a good season fades quickly as they lose 16 of 18 games form Mid-December to Mid-January. They would finish with a 31-51 record despite stellar seasons by Jeff Malone and Bernard King, who averaged 24.3 and 22.3 points per game respectively to lead the team.
1990–91[]
The lone highlight of the Bullets 30 win season was the successful comeback effort by Bernard King as he came all the way back from knee surgery he suffered while playing for the New York Knicks in the 1984-85 NBA season to finish 3rd in the NBA in scoring with a 28.4 points per game. In 1991, the team would name Susan O'Malley as its president, the first female president of a franchise in the history of the NBA. She is the sister of former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley and the daughter of former Dodger owner Walter O'Malley.
1993–94[]
Injuries continue to bite the Bullets as key players Rex Chapman and Calbert Cheaney (the club's 1st round draft pick) miss significant stretches, and Pervis Ellison misses almost the entire season. The result was a miserable 24-58 record, but help was on the way.
1994–95[]
The Bullets selected Juwan Howard in the 1994 NBA Draft and traded Tom Gugliotta along with three first round draft picks to the Golden State Warriors for the rights to Chris Webber. While the season started out with promise, a shoulder injury to Chris Webber (ironically against the Warriors) caused him to miss 19 games and the Bullets struggled through the rest of the season finishing a then franchise worst (percentage wise) 21-61. Webber averaged 20.1 ppg and 9.6 rpg, but declined surgery for his dislocated shoulder. This would prove costly for the next season.
1995–96[]
The Bullets' 1995–96 season seemed over before it started as Chris Webber suffered a dislocated left shoulder in a preseason game against Indiana on October 21 and opened the season on the injured list. He was activated on Nov. 27, but strained his shoulder against New York on Dec. 29. After hoping the injury would get better with rest, Webber finally underwent surgery on Feb. 1 which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. The Bullets were 9-6 with Webber in the lineup as he averaged a team-high 23.7 points plus 7.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.80 steals in 37.2 minutes per game when he was able to play. Other players injured included Mark Price (who only played in 7 games) and Robert Pack (31 games played out of 82). Brights spots of the season included the selection of Rasheed Wallace in the 1995 NBA Draft and the All-Star play of Juwan Howard. Howard averaged a career best 22.1 ppg and 8.1 rpg and kept the Bullets slim playoff hopes alive until the end of the season. The Bullets improved to 39-43, but just missed the playoffs.
1996–97: Final season as the Bullets[]
Washington, blessed with the league's tallest player (center Gheorghe Mureşan 7'7"), two of the game's most athletic forwards (Juwan Howard and Chris Webber) and one of the league's top point guards (Rod Strickland), Struggled out of the gate to a 22-24 start. That led to the dismissal of Head Coach Jim Lynam.
Bernie Bickerstaff, an assistant coach with the Bullets when they won their only NBA Championship in 1978, was called upon to resurrect his former team. The Bullets responded, winning 16 of their final 21 games to finish 44-38, their best record since 1978-79. The late surge enabled the Bullets to climb within reach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the final playoff spot. In a winner-take-the-eighth-playoff-spot game with the Cavaliers on the season's final day, the Bullets squeezed past Cleveland 85-81 to end the franchise's longest playoff drought. And while the Bullets were swept by the Bulls in the first round, they lost the three games by a total of just 18 points, a sign that the team is one to be reckoned with.
Webber led the way in scoring (20.1 ppg), rebounding (10.3), and blocks (1.9) and shot 51.8 percent from the floor to make his first All-Star team. Howard averaged 19.1 ppg and 8.0 rpg, while Strickland averaged 17.2 ppg and 1.74 spg and finished fifth in the league in assists with 8.9 per game. Muresan clogged the middle and led the NBA in field goal percentage (.599). Washington also received valuable contributions from Calbert Cheaney (10.6 ppg) and Tracy Murray (10.0 ppg).
1997–2001: Becoming the Wizards and Decline[]
In 1995, owner Abe Pollin announced that the franchise was to be renamed because Washington Bullets carried violent overtones. A contest was held to choose a new name and the choices were narrowed to the Dragons, Express, Stallions, Sea Dogs, or Wizards.[1] On May 15, 1997, the Bullets officially became the Washington Wizards. The change generated some controversy because Wizard is a rank in the Ku Klux Klan.[1] A new logo was unveiled and the team colors were changed from the traditional red, white and blue to blue, black, and bronze, the same colors as the Washington Capitals, a hockey team also owned by Pollin. That same year the Wizards moved to the then MCI Center, now called Verizon Center. The Verizon Center is also home to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League, the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and Georgetown Hoyas men's college basketball team.
In 1998, they became the brother team to the Women's National Basketball Association's Washington Mystics and remained officially thus until 2005 when the Mystics were sold to Lincoln Holdings (headed by Ted Leonsis), parent company of the Capitals. However, upon the purchase of the Wizards by Leonsis in 2010, the Wizards and Mystics again became sibling teams.
The newly-named Wizards began the season playing 5 home games at the US Air Arena before moving to the new MCI Center on December 2, 1997. The Wizards finished the season with a 42–40 record including 4 straight victories to end the season but just missed the playoffs. Highlights of the season included Webber leading the team in scoring (21.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). Rod Strickland led the league in assists (10.5 apg) before suffering an injury near the end of the season. Tracy Murray averaged 15.1 ppg off the bench including a 50 point game against Golden State. Off court distractions led to the trade of Chris Webber to the Sacramento Kings for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe in May 1998.
The Wizards finished the lockout shortened season of 1998–99 with a record of 18–32. Mitch Richmond led the team in scoring with a 19.7 ppg average. In the 1999-00 season, the Wizards ended with a 29–53 record. Mitch Richmond led the team with 17.4 ppg. 1999 NBA Draft pick Richard Hamilton led the team in scoring the following season with 18.1 ppg. However, as a team they did even worse with a 19–63 record ( a new franchise low). Despite the solid play of Juwan Howard, he was starting to get booed during home games because of the fact that the amount of his contract did not allow the Wizards team to make moves to improve the team.
On February 23, 2001, the Wizards were involved in a blockbuster trade days before the trading deadline. The team sent Juwan Howard, Obinna Ekezie and Calvin Booth to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for five Mavericks and $3 million. The Wizards received Hubert Davis, Alexander, Christian Laettner, Loy Vaught, and Etan Thomas.
2001–2003: The Michael Jordan era[]
2001–02[]
After retiring from the Chicago Bulls in January 1999, Michael Jordan became the Washington Wizards' president of basketball operations as well as a minority owner in 2000. However in September 2001, Michael Jordan came out of retirement at age 38 to play basketball for the Washington Wizards. Jordan stated that he was returning "for the love of the game". Because of NBA rules, he had to divest himself of any ownership of the team. Before the All-Star break, Jordan was only one of two players to average more than 25 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds as he led the Wizards to a 26-21 record. Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach John Lucas even insisted that Jordan was the league's first-half MVP, saying, "He's doing it with smarts and not the same talent he had...What he's done this year is off the charts...Our league has the best 300 players in the world, and the best one is 39 years old." Unfortunately, after the all-star break, Jordan's knee could not handle the workload of a full-season as he ended the season on the injured list, and the Wizards concluded the season with a 37-45 record. Still, Jordan had led the Wizards to an 18-win improvement from the previous season.
2002–03: Jordan's final season[]
Jordan announced that he would return for the 2002-03 season, and this time he was determined to be equipped with reinforcements, as he traded for All-Star Jerry Stackhouse and signed budding star Larry Hughes. Jordan even accepted a sixth-man role on the bench in order for his knee to survive the rigors of an 82-game season. However, a combination of numerous team injuries and uninspired play led to Jordan's return to the starting lineup, where he tried to rebound the franchise from its early-season struggles. The move led to mixed results, as several of Jordan's younger teammates complained about playing in Jordan's shadow and his unfair expectations of them. By the end of the season, the Wizards finished with a 37-45 record once again. Jordan ended the season as the only Wizard to play in all 82 games, as he averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals in 37.0 minutes per game.
Jordan's Departure[]
After the season, Wizards' majority owner Abe Pollin discarded Jordan as team president, much to the shock of teammates, associates, and the public. Michael Jordan felt that he was betrayed, thinking that he would get his ownership back after his playing days ended, but Pollin justified Jordan's dismissal by noting that Jordan had detrimental effects on the team, such as benching Larry Hughes for Tyronne Lue when Lue passed the ball to Jordan more, making poor trades, and squandering the teams' 2001 1st round draft pick on high schooler Kwame Brown who never panned out.
Jordan's stint with the Washington Wizards was closely watched by both fans and the media. While the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in either of Jordan's two seasons as a player, the team was competitive and sold out arenas around the league. Everyone watched the Wizards to see if Jordan was still the same player that he was with the Chicago Bulls, and at times he was. However, at other times, it was clear that time had caught up with him. Jordan was clearly still an effective player, but he was no longer a superstar.
The Wizards replaced Jordan's managerial role with Coach Eddie Jordan and General Manager Ernie Grunfeld. The team's current roster only has two holdovers from the Michael Jordan era, Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood, and these two centers were both signed to contract extensions by Grunfeld. The Grunfeld tenure has been widely lauded as being tremendously successful. In particular, the trade of underachieving first round bust Kwame Brown for All-Star Caron Butler is considered to be one of the all time uneven trades in NBA history.
2003–2010: The Gilbert Arenas era[]
2003–04[]
Without Jordan in the fold the following year, the Washington Wizards were not expected to win, and they did not. Despite the signing of future All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas, in a move that was ironically made possible by Jordan's prior cap-clearing maneuvers as a team executive, the team stumbled to a 25–57 record in the 2003–04 season. Following the season, Jerry Stackhouse, Christian Laettner, and a first-round draft pick (which turned out to be University of Wisconsin–Madison point guard Devin Harris) were all traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Antawn Jamison.
2004–05: Return to the playoffs[]
The 2004–05 NBA season saw the team (now in the new Southeast Division) post its finest regular season record in 26 years (45-37) and marked the first time the franchise had ever made the playoffs as the Wizards. During the regular season, the scoring trio of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Larry Hughes was the highest scoring trio in the NBA and earned the nickname of "The Big Three." Hughes also lead the NBA in steals with 2.89 steals per game. Arenas and Jamison were both named to the 2005 Eastern Conference All-Star team, marking the first time Washington had two players in the All-Star game since Jeff Malone and Moses Malone represented the Bullets in the 1987 All-Star Game.
With a 93–82 win over the Chicago Bulls on April 13, 2005, the Wizards clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1996-97 [1]. Long suffering fans celebrated by buying over 16,000 playoff tickets in two and a half hours the day tickets went on sale [2]. In Game 3 of the first round against the Chicago Bulls, the Wizards won their first playoff game since 1988. In the Wizards Game 5 victory in Chicago, Gilbert Arenas hit a buzzer-beater to win the game [3] and the Wizards took their first lead in a playoff series since 1986. In Game 6 at the MCI Center, the Wizards won their first playoff series in 23 years, defeating the Chicago Bulls 94–91 and becoming only the 12th team in NBA history to win a playoff series after being down 0–2. Following the series ending victory, the Wizards wore T-Shirts commemorating their advancement to the 2nd Round.
In the second round, the Wizards were swept by the top-seeded Miami Heat, in the 2005 NBA Playoffs.
2005–06[]
The 2005-06 NBA season was one filled with ups and downs. The beginning of the season was marred with talk that the loss of Larry Hughes to the Cleveland Cavaliers would greatly impact the team. During the offseason, Washington acquired Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels. During the regular season, the Wizards again had the best scoring trio in the NBA, this time consisting of Arenas, Jamison, and Caron Butler as the "Big Three." The Wizards started the 2005-06 season at 5-1, but went on an 8-17 funk to go to 13-18 through 31 games. Then, they went 13-5 in the next 18 games. On April 5, 2006, the team was 39-35 and looking to close in on the 45 win mark achieved the previous year, yet Caron Butler suffered a thumb sprain and the Wizards lost all five games without him. Caron returned and the team pulled out their final three games, against the Pistons, Cavs and Bucks, all playoff bound teams, to finish the year at 42-40 and clinch the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. They averaged 101.7 points a game, 3rd in the NBA and tops in the East and clinched a playoff berth for the second year in a row for the first time since 1987.
Their first round match up with Cleveland was widely seen as the most evenly matched series in the 2006 NBA Playoffs. The teams exchanged wins during the first two games in Cleveland, with Game 2 highlighted by the Wizards holding LeBron James to 7-25 shooting from the floor while Brendan Haywood gave James a hard foul in the first quarter that many cited as the key to shaking up the rest of LeBron's game. In Game 3 at the Verizon Center, LeBron James hit a 4-footer on the way down with 5.7 seconds left to take the game and the series lead for the Cavs with a 97-96 win. Coach Eddie Jordan, Wizard players and fans, believed that James was traveling when he hit this shot. Arenas missed a potential game winning 3-pointer on the other end to seal the win for the Cavs. Game 4 saw the Wizards heat up again, as Gilbert Arenas scored 20 in the fourth quarter after claiming he changed his jersey, shorts, shoes and tights in the locker room and the Wizards won 106-96. Yet in Games 5 and 6, the Cavs would take control of the series, both games decided by one point in overtime.
In Game 5, despite the Wizards being down 107-100 with 1:18 to play, the team drove back and eventually tied the game on Caron Butler's layup with 7.5 seconds remaining to send the game to OT, where LeBron James would tip-toe along the baseline to score with 0.9 seconds left in overtime to send the Cavs to a 121-120 win. The series came back to the Verizon Center for Game 6, where the game went back and forth all night. The Wizards blew a 14-point first-quarter lead, then for 24 minutes, from early in the second quarter to early in the fourth, neither team led by more than five points at any time. The Wizards blew a seven point lead with just under 5 to play and needed Arenas to hit a 31-footer at the end of regulation to take the game to overtime. Yet in OT, Arenas missed two key free throws after James taunted Arenas at the line, the Cavs rebounded the ball, went downcourt and Damon Jones hit a 17-foot baseline jumper with 4.8 seconds remaining to give the Cavs the lead for good. Caron Butler would miss a 3-pointer on the other end to seal the game, and the series, for the Cavaliers.
2006–07[]
The 2006–07 season started out very promisingly for the Wizards. In the off-season they signed free agents DeShawn Stevenson and Darius Songaila. Etan Thomas beat out Haywood for the starting center job. After starting the season 0–8 on the road, Washington rebounded to win 6 of 7 away from Verizon Center. After a November 4–9, Washington went 22–9 through December and January. Arenas scored a franchise-record 60 points against the Lakers on December 17. He and Eddie Jordan were named player of the month and coach of the month for December, respectively. On January 3 and again on January 15, Arenas hit buzzer-beating three-pointers to beat Milwaukee and Utah.
On January 30, Jamison went down with a sprained left knee in a win against Detroit. Washington went 4–8 in the 12 games without him. On February 3, Songaila made his Wizards debut against the Lakers. On February 18, Eddie Jordan became the first Wizards/Bullets coach to coach the NBA All-Star Game since Dick Motta in 1978–1979. Arenas played in his third straight All-Star game and Butler made his All-Star Game debut.
On March 14, Butler went out with a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for six games. He returned for only three games until he fractured his right hand on April 1 against Milwaukee. On April 4, Arenas suffered a season-ending knee injury, of the meniscus. An April 15 article in The Washington Post pointed out that with Arenas and Butler gone, the team had lost 42.3% of their offensive production, quite possibly "the most costly" loss for any team in the midst of a playoff hunt in NBA history.
Despite their late-season struggles without Arenas and Butler, the Wizards still managed to make the Eastern Conference playoffs, taking the 7th seed at 41–41. They were swept four games to none in a rematch of the previous year's first-round series against the eventual runner-ups the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite a depleted roster, the Wizards still managed to keep things close in every game in the series and only lost the final three games by a combined 20 points. The team enjoyed their best attendance figures in the post-Jordan era with a season attendance of 753,283 (18,372 per game).
2007–08[]
The Wizards retained a majority of their roster from the 2006–07 season, only losing Jarvis Hayes to Detroit, Calvin Booth to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Michael Ruffin to the Milwaukee Bucks as free agents. Washington signed Oleksiy Pecherov, the team's first-round pick in 2006, as well as 2007 picks Nick Young and Dominic McGuire. Etan Thomas missed the regular season after undergoing open-heart surgery.
The team began the season starting 0–5, but rebounded to win six straight. After 8 games, Arenas underwent surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus in his left knee, as well as a microfracture surgery. This was the same knee he had injured the previous year. The injury forced Arenas out for a total of 68 games. Midway through the season, Butler was forced to the sidelines for a total of 20 games with what initially was a strained hip flexor, but turned out to be a labral tear. Despite all of the injuries, the Wizards managed to go 43–39 on the regular season, good for 5th place in the Eastern Conference and a first-round playoff matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third straight season; the Wizards, like in 2006, lost that series in six games.
2008–10[]
During the off-season, Arenas signed a 6-year, $111 million contract, while Jamison signed a 4-year, $50 million contract. The Wizards did not re-sign guard Roger Mason, who signed with the San Antonio Spurs. The Wizards added guards Dee Brown and Juan Dixon, and drafted JaVale McGee 18th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft.
In September, Arenas underwent a third operation on his surgically repaired left knee to clean out fluid and debris, and was expected to miss at least the first month of the season. The forecast came in longer than expected, as Arenas missed 5 months of action due to concerns on his knee before returning on March 29, 2009. In the first game of the preseason, Jamison suffered a right knee contusion, and was expected to miss the rest of the preseason. Haywood announced that he would undergo surgery on his right wrist and was expected to miss 4–6 months. The preseason marked the return of Etan Thomas who had missed all of the 2007–2008 season while recovering from open heart surgery. The Wizards added guard Fenny Falmagne from the Dakota Wizards on August 23, 2008 that later was waived by the team after knee injury.
The Wizards opened the season on October 29 with a loss against New Jersey, and dropped 15 of their first 19 games. Head coach Eddie Jordan was fired on November 24 after a 1–10 start, and was replaced by interim coach Ed Tapscott. On December 10, Washington acquired guards Javaris Crittenton and Mike James in a three-team deal that sent Antonio Daniels to New Orleans. The team waived guard Dee Brown. They won just 14 of their first 60 games and in the end tied a franchise worst record of 19–63.
One of the few high points of the season came on February 27 when recently inaugurated President Barack Obama attended a Wizards game against the Chicago Bulls, sitting in a northeast court-side seat. The Wizards produced their second-biggest victory margin of the season with a 113–90 win; Jamison paced the side with 27 points.
On April 2, the Wizards shut down the Cleveland Cavaliers, who came in with a record of 61–13, and ended Cleveland's franchise-best winning streak at 13.
Flip Saunders reached an agreement to become the new coach of the team in mid-April 2009. Despite having the second best chance at obtaining the number one overall pick in the 2009 Draft, the Wizards were randomly chosen to pick fifth overall in the NBA Draft Lottery. This pick was later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with Songaila, Thomas, and Oleksiy Pecherov, in exchange for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. On May 21, 2009, Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld announced that the team has named Randy Wittman and Sam Cassell as assistant coaches. Then on August 11, 2009, the Wizards signed Fabricio Oberto, many weeks after he committed to signing with the team.
In November, majority owner Abe Pollin died at the age of 85. At the time of his passing, he was the longest-tenured owner in NBA history. Control of the franchise passed to his widow Irene, though minority owner Ted Leonsis was known to be preparing a takeover bid.
On December 24, 2009, it was revealed that Arenas had admitted to storing unloaded firearms in his locker at Verizon Center and had surrendered them to team security. In doing so, Arenas violated both NBA rules against bringing firearms into an arena and D.C. ordinances. On January 1, 2010, it was reported that Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton had unloaded guns in the Wizards' locker room during a Christmas Eve argument regarding gambling debts resulting in Arenas's suspension. Despite Stern's longstanding practice of not disciplining players until the legal process plays out, he felt compelled to act when Arenas's teammates surrounded him during pregame introductions prior to a game with the Philadelphia 76ers and he pantomimed shooting them with guns made from his fingers. The Wizards issued a statement condemning the players' pregame stunt as "unacceptable".
On February 13, 2010, after a 17–33 record at the season's midway point, The Wizards traded Butler, Haywood, and Stevenson to the Mavericks in exchange for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton. Three days later, the Wizards traded Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers in exchange for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and obtained Al Thornton from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team deal. Ilgauskas reported long enough to take a physical (to make the trade official). His contract was immediately bought out, making him a free agent. On February 26, 2010, the Wizards signed Shaun Livingston to a 10-day contract. With Gilbert Arenas suspended and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison being traded, the Wizards finished the season at 26-56, posting an abysmal 9–23 record to finish the season. They were the only Southeast Division team not to make the post-season.
2010–2019: The John Wall era[]
2010–13: Beginning[]
Leonsis completed his takeover of the Wizards and Verizon Center in June through his newly-formed holding company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment. He had previously purchased the Washington Capitals and Mystics from the Pollin family. Leonsis has taken a fan-centric approach to running the franchise, by listening and responding to the concerns of Wizards supporters through his email and personal website. He has written a manifesto of 101 changes he hopes to implement during his ownership, including changing the team's colors back to the red, white and blue of the Bullets era, and possibly changing the team nickname back to 'Bullets' as well. Team president Ernie Grunfeld later confirmed that the franchise's colors would revert to red, white and blue from the 2011–12 season onwards. The team also adopted new uniforms that were very similar to the ones they wore from 1974 to 1987. Although the Wizards did not change their name to the Bullets again, they adopted a variation of the 1969–1987 Bullets logo with "wizards" spelled in all lowercase letters like the "bullets" logo was printed.
Despite having only the 5th-best odds of obtaining the No. 1 pick (10.3% overall), the Wizards won the 2010 NBA Draft lottery and selected All-American Kentucky point guard John Wall with the first overall pick. Later in the offseason, the team acquired the Chicago Bulls' all-time leader in three-point field goals, Kirk Hinrich and the draft rights to forward Kevin Seraphin in exchange for the draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko.
In a blockbuster trade, the Wizards sent Gilbert Arenas to the Orlando Magic in return for Rashard Lewis on December 18. Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong were traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans, Mike Bibby, and a 2011 first-round pick that became Chris Singleton, although Mike Bibby bought out his contract after playing two games and eventually signed with the Miami Heat. The Wizards finished with a 23–59 record, once again occupying the Southeast Division cellar.
After a poor start to the 2011–12 season, head coach Flip Saunders was fired and replaced by assistant Randy Wittman. On March 15, the Wizards were involved in a three-way trade that sent JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to the Nuggets and Nick Young to the Clippers in exchange for Nenê and Brian Cook. After ending the season on a six-game win streak, the Wizards finished with a record of 20-46 (season was shortened due to the 2011 NBA Lockout) and the second worst record in the NBA, comfortably ahead of the 7-59 Charlotte Bobcats who set a new NBA record for the lowest win percentage in a season with .106. The Wizards sent Rashard Lewis and a pick to the Hornets for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza.
In the 2012 NBA Draft, the Wizards selected Bradley Beal and Tomáš Satoranský. On July 17, 2012, the Wizards exercised the amnesty provision from the 2011 CBA to release Andray Blatche. They also signed A. J. Price. Then, on August 29, 2012, Martell Webster was signed to the Wizards for one year on a $1.6 million contract. He played above average for what he was signed for and had a .422 average for three-pointers and a .442 field goal percentage. On April 30, 2013. Jason Collins, who joined the team in February announced his homosexuality as a member of the Wizards. His announcement made him the first openly gay member of a North American team sport.
On May 21, 2013, the Wizards jumped up 5 spots in the NBA Draft Lottery to make the number 3 overall selection for the second year in a row.[46] They used that pick to draft Consensus All-American Otto Porter of Georgetown University. On October 25, 2013, Wizards' center Emeka Okafor and a top-12 protected 2014 first-round pick were traded to the Phoenix Suns for the center Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee, and Kendall Marshall.
2013–14: Return to the playoffs[]
On February 3, 2014, the Wizards defeated the Portland Trail Blazers to improve to a 24–23 record. The win marked the first time the team had held a winning record since 2009.
On April 2, 2014, the Wizards defeated the Boston Celtics by a score of 118–92 to clinch the team's first playoff berth since the 2007–08 season. On April 29, 2014, the Wizards defeated the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals by a score of 75–69 to win the series 4–1. This was the Wizards first series victory since the 2005 NBA Playoffs when they defeated the same team in 6 games.[51] The Wizards advanced to the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Indiana Pacers. The Wizards won game one 102–96. In game two the Wizards lost a 19-point second half lead, as they dropped the game 88-82. After being routed by Indiana in game three 85-63, they also lost game four 95-92. They showed grit and determination as they staved off elimination with a 102–79 game five win. They were behind most of Game 6, but battled back to take the lead late in the game. However, Indiana closed out the series with a 93–80 win. Trevor Ariza would leave in the offseason.
2014–15[]
After the departure of Trevor Ariza, the Wizards signed veteran small forward Paul Pierce to a two-year contract. Pierce's veteran leadership proved to be a major factor on and off the court in the team's improvement. On November 12, 2014, the Wizards defeated the Detroit Pistons 107–103, extending their record to 6–2 for the first time since the 1975–76 season. The following game three days later, the Wizards defeated the Orlando Magic 98-93 as they won their third straight and moved to 7–2, their best start since opening 7–1 during the 1974–75 season. With a 104–96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on December 12, the Wizards moved to an 11–2 record at home to start the season for the first time in franchise history. They would struggle throughout the later months of the season, but the Washington Wizards would finish the season with a 46–36 record, their best record since the 1978–1979 season. They played the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and won in four games, marking their first sweep in franchise history. Following the victory over Toronto, the Wizards next had to play the top seeded Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards managed to take the first game in the series, but suffered the loss of Wall due to a fractured wrist. Although small forward Paul Pierce made several big shots throughout the series, the loss of Wall proved too much, and Atlanta took the series in six games.
2015–16[]
However, the 2015–16 season was much less successful. The Wizards finished 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 41-41 record, and missed the playoffs. On April 13, 2016 the Wizards, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012–13, fired head coach Randy Wittman.
On April 21, 2016, Scott Brooks, the former head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, agreed to a 5-year, $35 million deal to be the head coach of the Wizards. On September 8, 2016, the team unveiled new alternative jerseys. From 2015 on, their logo was the "monument ball" with "Navy Blue, Red, Silver, White" colors. In October 2016, they were ranked 93rd of 122 worst franchises in major sports by Ultimate Standings.
2016–17[]
The Wizards started off the 2016–17 season with a 2–8 record. However, they rebounded to touch the second seed, before a slump brought them down to the fourth seed, finishing 49–33, behind the 51–31 Toronto Raptors at third, the 51–31 Cleveland Cavaliers at second, and the 53–29 Boston Celtics in first place. The Wizards won their division title for the first time since the 1978–79 season, also clinching home-court advantage for the first time since the 1978–79 season, and the team had their best record since the 1978–79 season. The Wizards played the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, defeating them in six games behind a 42-point game six performance from Wall and 31 from Beal; before losing to the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.
2017–18[]
For the 2017–18 season, The Wizards would play their next season in the newly named Capital One Arena, but still only finished with a 43-39 record (good for the 8th seed) and lost the First Round in 6 games to the top-seeded Toronto Raptors.
2018–19[]
In the off season, they picked up Thomas Bryant off waivers and Troy Brown in the draft with the 15th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Despite Bryant becoming a valuable asset and Bradley Beal having a career season, the season would end up being a underwhelming one full of turmoil and on court troubles. The Wizards also went through injuries, including Dwight Howard playing 9 games before missing the rest of the season due to back problems and losing John Wall who underwent a season-ending surgery on his left Achilles which he injured while recovering from a previous injury, while trading Kelly Oubre Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and Markieff Morris at the same time. As a result, the Wizards would miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2015–16 season.
2019–2023: The Bradley Beal era[]
In April 2019, the Wizards fired general manager Ernie Grunfeld, who had been with the team since 2003, with Tommy Sheppard taking over as interim general manager until being officially hired full-time in July 2019. Alongside other front office moves, the Wizards selected Japanese player Rui Hachimura with their 9th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, as well as acquiring the Philadelphia 76ers' draft rights to 42nd pick Admiral Schofield in a trade.
Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Wizards were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season, where the Wizards went 1–7 and missed the playoffs.
In December 2020, the Wizards traded John Wall and a first-round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook.
In the 2020 NBA Draft, the Wizards drafted Deni Avdija and Vít Krejčí; Krejčí's draft rights were later traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rights to Cassius Winston. Avdija fractured his ankle in April 2021, effectively ending his season.
On June 16, 2021, Brooks and the Wizards agreed to part ways after not being able to agree to a new contract.
In the 2020–21 season, the Wizards finished the regular season with a 34–38 record. The Wizards played two games in the Play-in tournament, where they initially lost to the Boston Celtics for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, but defeated the Indiana Pacers for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, thus clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2018. In the playoffs, the Wizards faced the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, losing in five games.
On August 6, 2021, Washington Wizards traded Russell Westbrook, 2024 second-round pick and 2028 second-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell.
After a hot start to the season, the Wizards record slowly slipped. Notable losses include a 35 point lead blown to the Los Angeles Clippers and a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers which started a fight between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell. The Wizards' woes continued as a wrist injury that required surgery kept the team's scoring leader, Beal, out for the remainder of the season.
The trade deadline of the 2021–22 season saw a major roster change. The Wizards acquired All-Star Kristaps Porzingis in a trade for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, a sharpshooter whose 5-year, $80 million contract yielded lackluster results during his time in Washington.
The Wizards were eliminated from postseason contention on March 31, 2022 after an Atlanta Hawks win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wizards finished the regular season with a 35–47 record.
On April 19, 2023, after a consecutive season of 35-47 and missing the playoffs, the Wizards fired GM Tommy Sheppard.
Heading to the 2023 offseason, Beal and the Wizards began discussing possibly trading him to another team. On June 24, 2023, the Bradley Beal era in Washington came to an end when the Wizards traded Beal, along with Jordan Goodwin and Isaiah Todd, to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a package that included four first-round pick swaps, six second-round picks, Landry Shamet, and Chris Paul.
Season-by-Season Records[]
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Percentage
Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago Packers | |||||
1961–62 | 18 | 62 | .225 | ||
Chicago Zephyrs | |||||
1962–63 | 25 | 55 | .313 | ||
Baltimore Bullets | |||||
1963–64 | 31 | 49 | .388 | ||
1964–65 | 37 | 43 | .463 | Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals |
Baltimore 3, St. Louis 1 Los Angeles 4, Baltimore 2 |
1965–66 | 38 | 42 | .475 | Lost Division Semifinals | St. Louis 3, Baltimore 0 |
1966–67 | 20 | 61 | .247 | ||
1967–68 | 36 | 46 | .439 | ||
1968–69 | 57 | 25 | .695 | Lost Division Semifinals | New York 4, Baltimore 0 |
1969–70 | 50 | 32 | .610 | Lost Division Semifinals | New York 4, Baltimore 3 |
1970–71 | 42 | 40 | .512 | Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Lost NBA Finals |
Baltimore 4, Philadelphia 3 Baltimore 4, New York 3 Milwaukee 4, Baltimore 0 |
1971–72 | 38 | 44 | .463 | Lost Conference Semifinals | New York 4, Baltimore 2 |
1972–73 | 52 | 30 | .634 | Lost Conference Semifinals | New York 4, Baltimore 1 |
Capital Bullets | |||||
1973–74 | 47 | 35 | .573 | Lost Conference Semifinals | New York 4, Capital 3 |
Washington Bullets | |||||
1974–75 | 60 | 22 | .732 | Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Lost NBA Finals |
Washington 4, Buffalo 3 Washington 4, Boston 2 Golden State 4, Washington 0 |
1975–76 | 48 | 34 | .585 | Lost Conference Semifinals | Cleveland 4, Washington 3 |
1976–77 | 48 | 34 | .585 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
Washington 2, Cleveland 1 Houston 4, Washington 2 |
1977–78 | 44 | 38 | .537 | Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals |
Washington 2, Atlanta 0 Washington 4, San Antonio 2 Washington 4, Philadelphia 2 Washington 4, Seattle 3 |
1978–79 | 54 | 28 | .659 | Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Lost NBA Finals |
Washington 4, Atlanta 3 Washington 4, San Antonio 3 Seattle 4, Washington 1 |
1979–80 | 39 | 43 | .476 | Lost First Round | Philadelphia 2, Washington 0 |
1980–81 | 39 | 43 | .476 | ||
1981–82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
Washington 2, New Jersey 0 Boston 4, Washington 1 |
1982–83 | 42 | 40 | .512 | ||
1983–84 | 35 | 47 | .427 | Lost First Round | Boston 3, Washington 1 |
1984–85 | 40 | 42 | .488 | Lost First Round | Philadelphia 3, Washington 1 |
1985–86 | 39 | 43 | .476 | Lost First Round | Philadelphia, 3, Washington 2 |
1986–87 | 42 | 40 | .512 | Lost First Round | Detroit 3, Washington 0 |
1987–88 | 38 | 44 | .463 | Lost First Round | Detroit 3, Washington 2 |
1988–89 | 40 | 42 | .488 | ||
1989–90 | 31 | 51 | .378 | ||
1990–91 | 30 | 52 | .366 | ||
1991–92 | 25 | 57 | .305 | ||
1992–93 | 22 | 60 | .268 | ||
1993–94 | 24 | 58 | .293 | ||
1994–95 | 21 | 61 | .256 | ||
1995–96 | 39 | 43 | .476 | ||
1996–97 | 44 | 38 | .537 | Lost First Round | Chicago 3, Washington 0 |
Washington Wizards | |||||
1997–98 | 42 | 40 | .512 | ||
1998–99 | 18 | 32 | .360 | ||
1999–00 | 29 | 53 | .354 | ||
2000–01 | 19 | 63 | .233 | ||
2001–02 | 37 | 45 | .451 | ||
2002–03 | 37 | 45 | .451 | ||
2003–04 | 25 | 57 | .305 | ||
2004–05 | 45 | 37 | .549 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
Washington 4, Chicago 2 Miami 4, Washington 0 |
2005–06 | 42 | 40 | .512 | Lost First Round | Cleveland 4, Washington 2 |
2006-07 | 41 | 41 | .500 | Lost First Round | Cleveland 4, Washington 0 |
2007-08 | 43 | 39 | .524 | Lost First Round | Cleveland 4, Washington 2 |
2008-09 | 19 | 63 | .232 | ||
2009-10 | 26 | 56 | .317 | ||
2010-11 | 23 | 59 | .280 | ||
2011-12 | 20 | 46 | .303 | ||
2012-13 | 29 | 53 | .354 | ||
2013-14 | 44 | 38 | .537 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
Washington 4, Chicago 1 Indiana 4, Washington 2 |
2014-15 | 46 | 36 | .561 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
Washington 4, Toronto 0 Atlanta 4, Washington 2 |
2015-16 | 41 | 41 | .500 | ||
2016-17 | 49 | 33 | .598 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
Washington 4, Atlanta 2 Boston 4, Washington 3 |
2017-18 | 43 | 39 | .524 | Lost First Round | Toronto 4, Washington 2 |
2018-19 | 32 | 50 | .390 | ||
2019-20 | 24 | 41 | .369 | ||
2020-21 | 34 | 38 | .472 | Lost Play-in game for No. 7 seed Won Play-in game for No. 8 seed Lost First Round |
Boston 1, Washington 0 Washington 1, Indiana 0 Philadelphia 4, Washington 1 |
2021-22 | 35 | 47 | .427 | ||
2022-23 | 35 | 47 | .427 | ||
Totals | 2153 | 2616 | .451 | ||
Playoffs | 89 | 124 | .418 | 1 Championship |
Team name, logos, and uniforms[]
After moving from Chicago in 1963, the then-Baltimore Bullets originally went with a blue and orange scheme, which matched the city's Orioles baseball team (orange) and Colts football team (blue). The Bullets initially wore blue and white uniforms with orange trim, but in the early 1970s, orange supplanted blue as the primary color. During this era, the Bullets also wore unconventional uniforms, featuring three thick stripes which ran from the right leg up to the left side of the jersey. Beginning with the 1973–74 season, coinciding with the team's move to Landover, Maryland to become the Capital Bullets, they changed their colors to red, white and blue to match the American flag. Those uniforms also featured large horizontal stripes on the chest of the jerseys, and three stars on the side panels of the shorts. The uniforms were kept when they changed their location identifier a year later to the Washington Bullets.
The Bullets kept the "Stars and Stripes" uniform until 1987, although they made a minor tweak prior to the 1985–86 season with additional thin stripes, the "Bullets" logo on the right leg, and thin shorts stripes replacing the three stars. In 1987, the Bullets changed their logo and uniforms, going with red uniforms on the road and white uniforms at home. With the exception of a switch to block lettering and numbers before the 1990–91 season (switching over from the Serpentine font used for both elements, with the player name on back rendered in lower case as well), the Bullets kept these uniforms until 1997.
In 1997, the then-team owner Abe Pollin decided to change the club's nickname from Bullets to Wizards. The reasoning behind the name change was because Pollin did not want the team's name to continue to be associated with any violent connotations. The name change also included new logos, colors and uniforms, coinciding with the team's move to the new MCI Center. The new team's colors were blue, bronze and black. The primary logo depicted a wizard conjuring a basketball with a quarter moon. In 2007, the Wizards made minor modifications on their team jerseys and logos. To accommodate the gold–black alternate jerseys they introduced the previous season along with the design change on the Verizon Center floor, they changed their secondary team colors from bronze to metallic gold, and the player's name on the back of the jersey was changed from white/blue with bronze trim to gold (blue on home uniforms) with a change in lettering; the road uniform name lettering changed back to white with gold trim before the 2010–11 season.
On May 10, 2011, the Wizards unveiled a new color scheme, uniforms, and logo. David Safren, Pat Sullivan, and Michael Glazer were the product designers for the new jerseys which include the Washington Monument as an alternate logo. The team of product designers was led by Jessie Caples, who made most of the design decisions. James Pinder was also an essential part of the team, as he helped to engineer the jerseys to meet the players' standards. The team reverted to its traditional red, white and blue colors, which are the colors of the U.S. flag. The uniforms are based very closely on those worn from 1974 to 1987, during the team's glory years. Leonsis said the throwback to the old Bullets' uniforms was intentional; the only difference between those uniforms and the current ones is the team name on the jerseys. The colors were also used by Leonsis' other franchises, the Capitals and the Mystics, who adopted to those colors in 2007 and 2011, respectively. Another Washington-based team, baseball's Washington Nationals, also use this scheme; the Washington Football Team and D.C. United are currently the city's only professional sports teams not to adopt the red, white, and blue scheme.
On July 23, 2014, the Wizards unveiled a new alternate uniform. The uniform is similar to the club's road set, with the navy and red colors switched, so that navy is the predominant color instead of red.
On April 15, 2015, the Wizards unveiled a new primary logo. The new logo features the Washington Monument ball logo set in a roundel, with the striping pattern from the team's uniforms, three stars (each representing Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, similar to that of the NHL's Capitals), and the team's wordmarks. The team also said it would immediately discontinue the use of the wizard/partial moon logo, which had been used since 1997.
On September 30, 2015, the Wizards unveiled a new alternate uniform. Called the "Baltimore Pride" uniform, the uniform was intended to be worn for six select games during the Wizards' 2015–16 season.
On September 8, 2016, the Wizards released a second white uniform to honor the United States Armed Forces. The side stripes pay homage to the American flag.
The Wizards kept their existing uniforms (minus the two alternate uniforms) when Nike took over as uniform supplier in 2017. Along with the white "Association", red "Icon" and navy "Statement" uniforms, a "City" uniform was also released as part of the collection. The 2017–18 "City" uniform featured a white base, "The District of Columbia" wordmark in navy and numbers in white. The uniform paid tribute to the Washington Monument. The "City" uniform for 2018–19 was similar to the previous set, but with a black base, white letters and orange trim. The uniform paid homage to the National Mall at night. A red version of the 2017–18 "City" uniform served as the team's "Earned" uniform, which was a reward for making the 2018 playoffs.
Prior to the 2019–20 season, the navy "Statement" uniform received a minor tweak as the city name was replaced with "The District of Columbia" wordmark previously used on the team's "City" uniforms.
For the Wizards' 2019–20 "City" uniform, they brought back the white alternate uniform design worn in the 2016–17 season, but with the "dc" alternate logo in front and red numbers. The same design was carried over to the 2020–21 "City" uniform, but with a grey base.
Players[]
Current roster[]
Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Retired numbers[]
Washington Wizards retired numbers | |||
No. | Player | Position | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|
6 | Bill Russell | N/A | Retired across NBA on August 11, 2022 |
10 | Earl Monroe | G | 1967–1971 |
11 | Elvin Hayes | F | 1972–1981 |
25 | Gus Johnson | F | 1963–1972 |
41 | Wes Unseld | C | 1968–1981 |
45 | Phil Chenier | G | 1971–1979 |
Notes[]
- All of Earl Monroe's tenure back when the Wizards were the Baltimore Bullets.
- Includes Elvin Hayes' 1972–1973 tenure back when the Wizards were the Baltimore Bullets.
- Wes Unseld also served as coach (1987–1994).
- Includes Wes Unseld's 1968–1973 tenure back when the Wizards were the Baltimore Bullets.
- Phil Chenier also served as Bullets/Wizards television color analyst (1984–2017).
- Includes Phil Chenier's 1971–1973 tenure back when the Wizards were the Baltimore Bullets.
Players of note[]
Basketball Hall of Famers[]
Players[]
- Wes Unseld
- Earl "The Pearl" Monroe
- Elvin Hayes
- Dave Bing
- Walt Bellamy
- Bailey Howell
- Moses Malone
- Michael Jordan
- Gus Johnson
- Ralph Sampson
- Bernard King
- Mitch Richmond
- Spencer Haywood
- Bob Dandridge
- Chris Webber
- Ben Wallace
- Paul Pierce
Coaches[]
- Jim Pollard (1961–1962)
- Jack McMahon (1962)
- Bobby Leonard (1962–1964, as player-coach)
- Buddy Jeannette (1964–1965)
- Paul Seymour (1965–1966)
- Mike Farmer* (1966 interim)
- Buddy Jeannette (1966 interim)
- Gene Shue (1966–1973)
- K. C. Jones (1973–1976)
- Dick Motta (1976–1980)
- Gene Shue (1980–1986)
- Kevin Loughery (1986–1988)
- Wes Unseld (1988–1994)
- Jim Lynam (1994–1997)
- Bob Staak* (1997 interim)
- Bernie Bickerstaff (1997–1999)
- Jim Brovelli* (1999 interim)
- Gar Heard (1999–2000)
- Darrell Walker (2000 interim)
- Leonard Hamilton* (2000–2001)
- Doug Collins (2001–2003)
- Eddie Jordan (2003–2008)
- Ed Tapscott* (2008–2009 interim)
- Flip Saunders (2009–2012)
- Randy Wittman (2012–2016)
- Scott Brooks (2016–2021)
- Wes Unseld Jr. (2021-present)
Contributors[]
- Rod Thorn
Not to be forgotten[]
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Washington Hall of Stars[]
The Washington Hall of Stars, a series of banners on the right-field wall of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, honors several D.C. sports heroes. The Bullets/Wizards figures honored are:
- 45 - Phil Chenier, G, 1971-80; Broadcaster
- 24 - Bob Ferry, C, 1964-68 (all in Baltimore); General Manager, 1970-87
- 11 - Elvin Hayes, F, 1972-81
- 41 - Wes Unseld, C, 1968-81; Head Coach, 1987-94
- Abe Pollin, Team Owner, 1964-present
The Hall also honors Arnold "Red" Auerbach, who played collegiately at D.C.'s George Washington University, and Horace "Bones" McKinney, who played for the Washington Capitols in the early days of the NBA. Both men also coached the Capitols, who played from the NBA's founding in 1946 until the team folded in 1951.
Media information[]
Most games are carried on Comcast SportsNet which is available in the Washington, D.C. area and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic states. Alternate local carriers include WDCW-TV and cable station NewsChannel 8. Wizards games are announced by Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier. Chick Hernandez or Dave Branch serves as a sideline reporter for some broadcasts.
External links[]
- Washington Wizards official website
- http://dc-wizards.blogspot.com/ Washington Wizards official blog]
- Sports E-Cyclopedia
- Washington Wizards blog fan site
- Unofficial Washington Wizards fan blog
- Washington Wizards News
- Full Rosters Since Team Inception
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Preceded by Portland Trail Blazers 1977 |
NBA Champions Washington Bullets 1978 |
Succeeded by Seattle SuperSonics 1979 |
NEW
National Basketball Association | ||||
Commissioners | ||||
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Peterseim, Locke. "Like magic, Wizards' name becomes cool". Page 2 Goes to Washington (ESPN.com). http://espn.go.com/page2/wash/s/closer/020316.html. Retrieved 2006-07-07.