Washington Wizards
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Wikipedia-Article "Washington Wizards"
| Washington Wizards | |
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| Founded | 1961 |
| Team History | Chicago Packers (1961-1962) Chicago Zephyrs (1962-1963) Baltimore Bullets (1963-1972) Capital Bullets (1973-1974) Washington Bullets (1974-1997) Washington Wizards (1997-present) |
| Arena | MCI Center |
| Team Colors | Blue, White, Gold, and Black |
| Championships | 1 (1978) |
| Conference Championships | 4 (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979) |
| Division Titles | 7 (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979) |
| Owner | Abe Pollin |
| Head Coach | Eddie Jordan |
| Mascot | G-Wiz |
- "Washington Bullets" redirects here. For the song by The Clash, see Washington Bullets (song).
The Washington Wizards are a National Basketball Association team based in Washington, D.C..
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Franchise history
The team now known as the Wizards started as the Chicago Packers in the 1961-62 season. The next season, they changed their name to the Zephyrs. And the season after that, they moved to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Bullets, no relation to the 1940s Bullets franchise.
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 the transition, the Bullets also played home games at Cole Field House, the home of the University of Maryland Terrapins, while waiting for the completion of their new arena in Landover, the Capital Centre (later known as the USAir/US Airways Arena.) Through the mid-1990s, the Bullets still played a few games per season in Baltimore.
The Miracle 1977-78 Season
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 coined the famed phrase "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings!" It became a rally cry for the Bullets as they made a great playoff run that led to The NBA Finals as they later defeat The Seattle Supersonics 4 games to 3 to give Washington D.C. its first pro sports championship in 36 years.
The Name Change
On May 15, 1997, the Bullets officially unveiled their new name and logo. They had changed it because the name Bullets carried a violent overtone (Washington, D.C. regularly ranks at or near the top US murder cities per capita). The names Seadogs, Express, Mustangs, and Monuments were also considered but rejected. Also that year the Wizards moved to the MCI Center located at 601 F Street in Northwest Washington, DC. The MCI Center is also home to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Washington Mystics of the WNBA.
Recent Resurgence
The 2004-2005 season saw the team post their finest regular season record in 26 years (45-37) and marked the first time the franchise had ever made the playoffs as the Wizards. The last time the team had made the postseason was in 1996-1997, when it was still known as the Bullets. In Game 3 of the first round against the Chicago Bulls, the Wizards won their first playoff game since 1988. In a Game 5 victory against Chicago they took their first lead in a playoff series since 1986. In Game 6, the Wizards won their first playoff series in 23 years defeating the Chicago Bulls 94-91 and became only the ninth team in NBA history to win a playoff series after being down 0-2.
Following this game, the Wizards were swept by the Miami Heat (#1 seed in the 2005 playoffs), ending a stellar season.
Players of note
 Current Roster |
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| Head Coach: Eddie Jordan | Edit | |||
| PG | 0 |  |
Gilbert Arenas | (Arizona) |
| PG | 9 | |
Chucky Atkins | (South Florida) |
| F | 32 | |
Andray Blatche | South Kent Prep (CT) |
| C | 52 | |
Calvin Booth | (Penn State) |
| SF | 3 | |
Caron Butler | (UConn) |
| PG | 6 | |
Antonio Daniels | (Bowling Green) |
| SF | 24 | |
Jarvis Hayes | (Georgia) |
| C | 33 | |
Brendan Haywood | (North Carolina) |
| PF | 4 | |
Antawn Jamison | (North Carolina) |
| SF | 1 | |
Jared Jeffries | (Indiana)
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| PF | 51 | |
Michael Ruffin | (Tulsa) |
| G | 35 | |
Awvee Storey | (Arizona State) |
| G | 21 | |
Donell Taylor | (UAB) |
| F/C | 36 | |
Etan Thomas | (Syracuse) |
| (FA) - Free Agent | Washington Wizards | |||
Basketball Hall of Famers
Not to be forgotten
- Michael Adams
- Manute Bol
- Phil Chenier
- Bob Dandridge
- Richard Hamilton
- Juwan Howard
- Gus Johnson
- Michael Jordan
- Bernard King
- Gheorghe Muresan
- Robert Pack
- Brent Price
- Rod Strickland
- Ben Wallace
- Rasheed Wallace
- Chris Webber
- Don Nelson
- Larry Hughes
- Juan Dixon
Retired numbers
- 11 - Elvin Hayes, F, 1972-81 (1972-73 Baltimore)
- 25 - Gus Johnson, F, 1963-72 (all in Baltimore)
- 41 - Wes Unseld, C, 1968-81 (1968-73 Baltimore); Head Coach, 1987-94
Media Information
All Wizards regular season games can be seen on Comcast SportsNet which is available in the Washington, DC area and other local areas. Wizards games are announced by Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier.
External links
| National Basketball Association (2005–06) |
| Eastern Conference |
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| Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics | New Jersey Nets | New York Knicks | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors |
| Central Division: Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons | Indiana Pacers | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks | Charlotte Bobcats | Miami Heat | Orlando Magic | Washington Wizards |
| Western Conference |
| Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets | Minnesota Timberwolves | Portland Trail Blazers | Seattle SuperSonics | Utah Jazz |
| Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers | Phoenix Suns | Sacramento Kings |
| Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks | Houston Rockets | Memphis Grizzlies | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | San Antonio Spurs |
| Other Articles: NBA Finals | NBA All-Star Game | NBA Draft | Current Team Rosters | |