Washington Wizards
2011–12 Washington Wizards season
Washington Wizards logo
Conference	Eastern Conference
Division	Southeast Division
Founded	1961
History	Chicago Packers 1961–1962 Chicago Zephyrs 1962–1963 Baltimore Bullets 1963–1973 Capital Bullets 1973–1974 Washington Bullets 1974–1997 Washington Wizards 1997–present
Arena	Verizon Center
City	Washington, D.C.
Team colors	Red, White, Navy, Silver
Owner(s)	Ted Leonsis
General manager	Ernie Grunfeld
Head coach	Randy Wittman
D-League affiliate	Iowa Energy
Championships	1 (1978)
Conference titles	4 (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979)
Division titles	7 (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979)
Retired numbers	4 (10, 11, 25, 41)
Official website	WashingtonWizards.com
Home Away

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and play their home games at the Verizon Center in the Chinatown section of Washington, D.C..

Early years[link]

The club now known as the Wizards began play as the Chicago Packers in 1961, as the first modern expansion team in NBA history. After only one year, they changed their name to the Zephyrs. In 1963 the franchise moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and became the Baltimore Bullets (no relation to the 1940s–50s Baltimore Bullets BAA/NBA franchise). In their first year in Baltimore, the Bullets finished 4th in a 5–team Western Division.^[1]

Prior to the 1964–65 NBA season the Bullets pulled off a blockbuster trade, sending Terry 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 hustling, fundamentally sound player who helped the Bullets get into 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.

Wes Unseld Era[link]

In the late 1960s, the Bullets drafted two future Hall of Famers: Earl Monroe, 1967 draft, No. 2 overall and Wes Unseld, 1968 draft, No. 2 overall. 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 reached the playoffs with high expectations to go further, but they were eliminated by the New York Knicks 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 emerged victorious again.

In the 1970–71 season, the 42–40 Bullets again met the 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 led by future hall-of-famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (known in 1971 as Lew Alcindor) and Oscar Robertson.

Late 1970s to late 1980s[link]

Even after the trades of Earl Monroe (to the Knicks) and Gus Johnson (to the Suns), the Bullets remained a playoff contender throughout the 1970s. Following 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. The Bullets would again face the Knicks in the 1973 NBA Playoffs, losing for the fourth time in five series against New York.

In 1973, the team moved to Landover, Maryland and became the Capital Bullets; not to be confused with the Washington Capitals they changed their name to the Washington Bullets the following 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 SuperSonics. Through the mid-1970s, 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 Washington posted a 36–5 home record at the Capital Centre. In the first round of the playoffs, they survived a 7–game series 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 game 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 eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 games. 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 took a 2–1 series lead in the second round of against the Houston Rockets. 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.

Miracle 1977–78 season[link]

Although they had future hall of famers Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld on the team, the Bullets finished the 77–78 season 44–38 and were a longshot to win the NBA Championship, but San Antonio journalist Dan Cook 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.

A tough act to follow[link]

In the 1978–79 NBA season the Bullets moved to the Atlantic Division, capturing the title in their first season there. They entered the 1979 NBA Playoffs having lost 8 of the final 11 games to finish the regular season at 54–28. In the playoffs the Bullets nearly blew a 3–1 series lead against the Atlanta Hawks, but managed to hold off the Hawks in 7 games.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, they trailed the San Antonio Spurs 3–1, but they mounted a 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 of the Finals, the Bullets defeated the SuperSonics, 99–97, on two game-winning free throws. They lost the next four games, and the series, to Seattle. The Bullets were the only team to play in the NBA Finals four times during the 1970s.

1979–1988[link]

Age and injuries finally caught up with the Bullets. In the 1979–80 NBA season, they barely made the playoffs as they captured 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. Wes Unseld retired and Elvin Hayes was traded to the Houston Rockets the following season.

In '81, Washington played strong under the coaching of Gene Shue and Don Moran, 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 1970s. The Bullets continued to play with the same talent 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.

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.

In 1985, the Bullets acquired 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. The Bullets acquired center Moses Malone from the Philadelphia 76ers for center Jeff Ruland the following season for hope of improvement. Malone 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. Washington was eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in 3 games in the playoffs.

The Bullets selected Muggsy Bogues twelfth overall in the '87 Draft, who at 5'3" is the smallest player in NBA history. The Bullets would get off to a slow start as coach Kevin Loughery was 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 improved as they were able to reach 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. They would lose game 5 by 21 points. It would be 9 years before Washington would return to the NBA Playoffs.

The 1990s and 2000s[link]

1989–1997[link]

The Bullets got off to a 5–1 start in 1989, but hopes of a good season faded quickly as they lost 16 of 18 games from 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.

The lone highlight of the Bullets 30 win 1990–91 season was the successful comeback effort by Bernard King as he recovered from knee surgery he suffered while playing for the Knicks in the 1984–85 NBA season to finish 3rd in the NA in scoring with a 28.4 points per game. In 1990, the team would name Susan O'Malley as its president, the first female president of a franchise in the history of the NBA. Susan O'Malley is the daughter of Peter O'Malley, the prominent lawyer from Maryland and former president of the Washington Capitals.

The Bullets posted records of 25–57 in the 1991–92 season and 22–60 in the 1992–93 season due to injuries and inconsistent play.

Injuries would 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 for the 1993–94 season, but help from the Michigan Wolverines was on the way.

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.

The Bullets' 95–96 season seemed over before it started as 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). Bright spots of the season included the selection of Rasheed Wallace in the 1995 NBA Draft and the All-Star play of Howard. Juwan 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.

Washington, boasting the league's tallest player (center Gheorghe Mureşan 7'7"), two very athletic forwards (Juwan and Webber) and one of the league's top point guards (Rod Strickland), struggled at the start of the 1996–97 season 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 dominated the middle and led the NBA in field goal percentage (.599). Washington received contributions from Calbert Cheaney (10.6 ppg) and Tracy Murray (10.0 ppg).

Bullets become the Wizards[link]

In 1995, owner Abe Pollin announced he was changing the team's name because Bullets had acquired violent overtones that had made him increasingly uncomfortable over the years, particularly given the high homicide and crime rate in the early 1990s in Washington, D.C. The final straw was the assassination of his longtime friend, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.^[2] A contest was held to choose a new name and the choices were narrowed to the Dragons, Express, Stallions, Sea Dogs, or Wizards.^[3] On May 15, 1997, the Bullets officially became the Washington Wizards. The change generated some controversy because Washington is a predominantly African-American city and Wizard is a rank in the Ku Klux Klan.^[3] 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 hockey team owned by Pollin. That same year the Wizards moved to the then MCI Center, now called Verizon Center. The Verizon Center is home to the Capitals, the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Georgetown Hoyas men's college basketball team.

In 1998, they became the brother team to the WNBA'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 Washington Capitals. However, upon the purchase of the Wizards by Leonsis in 2010, the Wizards and Mystics again became sibling teams.

Late '90s decline[link]

The newly-named Wizards began the 1997–98 season playing 5 home games at the Capital Centre before moving to the 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 Chris Webber leading the team in scoring (21.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). 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 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 1999–2000 season, the Wizards finished with a 29–53 record. Mitch Richmond led the team with 17.4 ppg. In the 2000–2001 season, under newly hired coach Leonard Hamilton, 1999 NBA Draft pick Richard Hamilton led the team in scoring with 18.1 ppg, but the team finished with a 19–63 record (a franchise low).

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 return, Washington received Hubert Davis, Courtney Alexander, Christian Laettner, Loy Vaught and Etan Thomas along with $3 million.

Michael Jordan years[link]

Michael Jordan served as president of basketball operations and was a minority owner.

2001–02[link]

After retiring from the Chicago Bulls in early 1999, Michael Jordan became the Washington Wizards' president of basketball operations as well as a minority owner in January 2000. In September 2001, Jordan came out of retirement at age 38 to play for Washington. 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^[4] as he led the Wizards to a 26–21 record. 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. Jordan led the Wizards to an 18-win improvement from the previous season.

2002–03[link]

Jordan announced 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. 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. 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,^[5] 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals in 37.0 minutes per game.

Departure[link]

After the season, majority owner Pollin fired Jordan as team president, much to the shock of players, associates, and the public. Jordan felt 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 Hughes for Tyronn Lue, making poor trades, and using the team's 2001 1st round draft pick on high schooler Kwame Brown. 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, the team stumbled to a 25–57 record in the 2003–04 season.

The Wizards replaced Jordan's managerial role with coach Eddie Jordan (no relation) and General Manager Ernie Grunfeld.

Mid-2000s resurgence and Gilbert Arenas years[link]

The Wizards G-Man, one of the team's mascots

2004–05[link]

The 2004–05 NBA season saw the team (now in the new Southeast Division) post its best regular-season record in 26 years (45–37) and marked the first time the franchise had ever made the playoffs as the Wizards. In the off-season, the team traded Stackhouse, Christian Laettner, and the draft rights to Devin Harris to the Dallas Mavericks for Antawn Jamison. During the regular season, the scoring trio of Arenas, Jamison and Hughes was the highest in the NBA and earned the nickname of "The Big Three". Hughes led the NBA in steals with 2.89 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.^[6] Long-suffering fans celebrated by buying over 16,000 playoff tickets in two and a half hours the day tickets went on sale.^[7] In game 3 of the first round against the Bulls, the Wizards won their first playoff game since 1988.^[8] Adding to the "long-overdue" feeling was the fact that game 3 was the first NBA playoff game to be held within Washington, D.C. city limits.^[9] In the Wizards' game 5 victory in Chicago, Arenas hit a buzzer-beater to win the game^[10] and the Wizards took their first lead in a playoff series since 1986. In Game 6 at the MCI Center, Jared Jeffries picked up a loose ball and went in for an uncontested tie-breaking dunk with 32 seconds left, thus giving the Wizards a 94–91 win and the team's first playoff series win in 23 years. They were only the 12th team in NBA history to win a playoff series after being down 0–2.^[11]

In the conference semifinals, the Wizards were swept by the Miami Heat, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in the 2005 NBA Playoffs.

2005–06[link]

The 2005–06 NBA season was one filled with ups and downs. During the off-season, 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 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, until Butler suffered a thumb sprain and the Wizards lost all five games without him. Butler 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, third 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 James's game. In Game 3 at the Verizon Center, 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. Arenas missed a potential game-winning three-pointer on the other end to seal the win for the Cavs. Game 4 saw the Wizards heat up again, as 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 Butler's layup with 7.5 seconds remaining to send the game to OT, where James scored with 0.9 seconds left in overtime to send the Cavs to a 121–120 win. The series returned 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. In OT, Arenas missed two key free throws. Cleveland 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. Butler missed a three-pointer on the other end to seal the game, and the series, for the Cavaliers.

2006–07[link]

The Wizards in a home game against the Toronto Raptors, March 30, 2007

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.^[12]

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 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).^[13]

2007–08[link]

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 Washington 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.

Two Long Miserable Seasons in D.C. (2008–2010)[link]

2008–09[link]

The Wizards emerged from the offseason retaining two of the main pieces of their core: Arenas and Jamison. Arenas signed a six-year, $111 million contract, while Jamison signed a four-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 five 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 four to six 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, finishing with a franchise worst-record-tying 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 red hot Cleveland Cavaliers, who came in with a record of 61–13, and ended Cleveland's franchise-best winning streak at 13.

2009–10[link]

Flip Saunders reached an agreement to become the new coach of the team in mid-April, 2009.^[14] 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.^[15] This pick was later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with Songaila, Thomas, and Oleksiy Pecherov, in exchange for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.^[16] On May 21, 2009, Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld announced that the team has named Randy Wittman and Sam Cassell as assistant coaches.^[17] Then on August 11, 2009, the Wizards signed Fabricio Oberto, many weeks after he committed to signing with the team.^[18]

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.^[19] Control of the franchise passed to his widow Irene, though minority owner Ted Leonsis was known to be preparing a takeover bid.^[19]

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.^[20] 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. The D.C. Metropolitan Police and the U.S. Attorney's office are investigating.^[21]

In January, the NBA suspended Arenas indefinitely without pay while conducting their investigation into the incident. NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement that while Arenas would likely face a lengthy suspension (possibly for the remainder of the 2009–10 season, if not longer), "his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game." 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.^[22] The Wizards issued a statement condemning the players' pregame stunt as "unacceptable".^[23]

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 ten-day contract.

With Gilbert Arenas suspended and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison being traded, the Wizards finished the season at 26 wins and 56 losses, posting an abysmal 9–23 record to finish the season. They were the only Southeast Division team not to make the post-season.

2010–present: The Leonsis/Wall era[link]

Owner Ted Leonsis and then coach Flip Saunders watch John Wall in 2010

Leonsis completed his takeover of the Wizards and Verizon Center in June (through Monumental Sports and Entertainment). He had previously purchased the Washington Capitals and Mystics from the Pollin family.^[24] 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.^[25] 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.^[25] Team President Ernie Grunfeld later confirmed that the franchise's colors would revert to red, white and blue from the 2011–12 season onwards.^[26]

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.^[27] 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 was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans, Mike Bibby, and a 2011 1st 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.

On May 10, 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 in three of their logos. The team reverted to its traditional red, white and blue colors. The uniforms are based very closely on those worn during their glory years of the 1970s and early 1980s. Leonsis said the throwback to the old Bullets' uniforms was intentional; the new designs make no reference to theme of Wizards other than the actual name written across the home jersey.

The Wizards' first season with their new look was an eventful one. After a poor start to the season, Head Coach, Flip Saunders was fired and Assistant Coach, Randy Wittman, was appointed as the new head coach. On March 15th, 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 Nene 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.

Rivalries[link]

Cleveland Cavaliers[link]

In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, the Wizards matched up with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a first round matchup, in what would turn out to be the first of three consecutive postseason matchups, as well as James' first-ever playoff appearance. The series was considered to be one of the most evenly matched of all first-round series that year. After suffering a loss in Game 1, Washington came back to win Game 2 and steal home-court advantage heading back to Verizon Center for Game 3. Cleveland stole home-court advantage right back. Washington came back to tie the series at two apiece with a win in Game 4, but suffered two consecutive one-point overtime losses and thus were eliminated 4 games to 2. They met again in the first-round of the 2007 playoffs, but Washington was unable to win a game, losing the series 4–0.

In April 2008, Arenas made comments saying Cleveland was only a .500 team since a midseason blockbuster trade. After the conclusion of the 2007–08 regular season, the Wizards and Cavaliers were pitted against each other for the third season in a row. Following a regular-season win on March 13, guard DeShawn Stevenson called James "overrated." James responded to the comment by saying that he would not return the insult, as that would be "almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy."^[28] Soulja Boy made an appearance at Game 3 of the series (played in Washington) in support of the Wizards; his music was played over the PA system.^[29] Jay-Z, a close friend of James, got involved in the rivalry as well, making a song that trashed Stevenson. The day after Game 3, James reserved a private room at Love Nightclub in D.C. for himself and his teammates. Jay-Z's new song was played while Cavs guard Damon Jones made negative gestures about the Wizards. After suffering a late-game loss in Game 4 at the hands of a Delonte West three-pointer, Washington won Game 5 in Cleveland to bring the series back to Washington for Game 6 of the series. Prior to Game 6, reserve forward Songaila was suspended for striking James in the face after a skirmish for a rebound in the first quarter of Game 5, and without Songaila, the Wizards suffered a season-ending defeat to Cleveland, and lost the series 4–2.

Dating back to the start of the 2005–06 season, the Wizards and Cavaliers have played each other a combined 36 times (including preseason), far more than they have played any other team in the league.

Season-by-season records[link]

Home arenas[link]

• International Amphitheatre (1961–1962)
• Chicago Coliseum (1962–1963)
• Baltimore Civic Center (later the Baltimore Arena, now 1st Mariner Arena) (1963–1973, occasional games in 1990s)
• US Airways Arena (originally Capital Centre) (1973 – November 1997)
• Verizon Center (formerly MCI Center) (December 1997–present)

Players of note[link]

Former Bullets players honored during a Wizards game in March 2012 at the Verizon Center

Basketball Hall of Famers[link]

• Wes Unseld: C-F, 1968–81, Inducted Class of 1988. Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets.
• Elvin Hayes: F-C, 1972–81, Inducted Class of 1990. Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets.
• Dave Bing: PG, 1975–77, Inducted Class of 1990 Washington Bullets.
• Earl "The Pearl" Monroe: G, 1967–72. Inducted Class of 1990. Baltimore Bullets.
• Walt Bellamy: C, 1961–65, Inducted Class of 1993. Chicago Packers/Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets.
• Bailey Howell: F, 1964–66, Inducted Class of 1997. Baltimore Bullets.
• Moses Malone: C-F, 1986–88, Inducted 2001. Washington Bullets.
• Michael Jordan: SG-SF, 2001–03, Inducted Class of 2009. Washington Wizards.
• Gus Johnson: SF, 1963–72, Inducted Class of 2010. Baltimore Bullets.

Retired numbers[link]

• 10 – Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, G, 1967–1971 (all in Baltimore)
• 11 – Elvin Hayes, F, 1972–1981 (1972–1973 Baltimore)
• 25 – Gus Johnson, F, 1963–1972 (all in Baltimore)
• 41 – Wes Unseld, C, 1968–1981 (1968–1973 Baltimore); Head Coach, 1987–1994

Current roster[link]

International rights[link]

SF		Emir Preldžič	2009 NBA Draft	57th pick

Washington Hall of Stars[link]

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, 1971–1980; Broadcaster
• 11 – Elvin Hayes, F, 1972–1981
• 41 – Wes Unseld, C, 1968–1981; Head Coach, 1987–1994
• Abe Pollin, Team Owner, 1964–2009

The Hall 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 coached the Capitols, who played from the NBA's founding in 1946 until the team folded in 1951.

High points[link]

Franchise leaders[link]

Career[link]

• Games – Wes Unseld (984)
• Minutes Played – Wes Unseld (35,832)
• Field Goals Made – Elvin Hayes (6,251)
• Field Goal Attempts – Elvin Hayes (13,658)
• 3-Point Field Goals Made – Gilbert Arenas (868)
• 3-Point Field Goal Attempts – Gilbert Arenas (2,430)
• Free Throws Made – Elvin Hayes (3,046)
• Free Throw Attempts – Elvin Hayes (4,499)
• Offensive Rebounds – Elvin Hayes (2,225)
• Defensive Rebounds – Elvin Hayes (5,903)
• Total Rebounds – Wes Unseld (13,769)
• Assists – Wes Unseld (3,822)
• Steals – Greg Ballard (762)
• Blocked Shots – Elvin Hayes (1,558)
• Turnovers – Juwan Howard (1,389)
• Personal Fouls – Wes Unseld (2,762)
• Points – Elvin Hayes (15,551)

* Active (through 2009–2010 regular season)

Per game[link]

• Minutes Played – Walt Bellamy (41.6)
• Total Rebounds – Walt Bellamy (16.6)
• Assists – Rod Strickland (8.9)
• Steals – Tom Gugliotta (2.0)
• Blocked Shots – Manute Bol (3.8)
• Points – Walt Bellamy (27.6)

Individual awards[link]

NBA All-Star Weekend[link]

Media information[link]

Most games are carried on TV 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. Chris Miller serves as a sideline reporter for some broadcasts (including most Wizards' home games). On the radio, Wizards games are broadcast on WJFK-106.7 FM, with Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor doing analysis.

For online and print media, Michael Lee is the traveling beat reporter for the Washington Post. Coverage from the Post is also supplemented by Gene Wang. Three blogs also cover the team with media credentials, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever.com (apart of SB Nation), Kyle Weidie of Truth About It.net (apart of ESPN's TrueHoop Network), and Independent blog Wizards Extreme led by Matt and Asad Naqvi as well as Joe Glorioso. Jay Glassie is the Washington Wizards & NBA correspondent for ESPN 980 (980am – local sports radio station).

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Washington Wizards

District of Columbia/ Virginia portal

• Washington Wizards official web site
• Wizards Extreme Fan Forum
• Wizards Game Tickets
• Washington Wizards Fan Forum
• Sports E-Cyclopedia
• Washington Wizards News
• Full Rosters Since Team Inception
• Wizards History From Chicago Stag to Washington Wizards
• Washington Wizards YouTube Videos

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Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls in 1997
No. 23, 45, 9, 12
Shooting guard / Small forward
Personal information
Born	(1963-02-17) February 17, 1963 (age 49) Brooklyn, New York
High school	Emsley A. Laney
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College	North Carolina (1981–1984)
NBA Draft	1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	1984–2003
Career history
1984–1993, 1995–1998	Chicago Bulls
2001–2003	Washington Wizards
Career highlights and awards
6× NBA Champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) 5× NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991–1992, 1996, 1998) 14× NBA All-Star (1985–1993, 1996–1998, 2002–2003) 6× NBA Finals MVP (1991–1993, 1996–1998) 10× NBA scoring champion (1987–1993, 1996–1998) 3× NBA steals champion (1988, 1990, 1993) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988) 10× All-NBA First Team (1987–1993, 1996–1998) All-NBA Second Team (1985) 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1988–1993, 1996–1998) NBA Rookie of the Year (1985) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985) 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1996, 1998) 2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1987–1988) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team #23 Retired by Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat NCAA Champion (1982) 2× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1983–1984) ACC Player of the Year (1984) Oscar Robertson Trophy (1984) Naismith College Player of the Year (1984) John R. Wooden Award (1984) Adolph Rupp Trophy (1984)
Career statistics
Points	32,292 (30.1 ppg)
Rebounds	6,672 (6.2 rpg)
Assists	5,633 (5.3 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."^[1] Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.^[2]

After a three-season career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball.^[3] In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.^[4] Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, having won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.

Jordan is sometimes referred to simply by his initials MJ.^[5]

Early years[link]

Michael Jordan's jersey in the rafters of The Dean Smith Center

Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan, Sr., an equipment supervisor. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler.^[6] Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 5'11" (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, was the only sophomore to make the team.^[7]

Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40 point games.^[7] The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm)^[1] and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play.^[8][9] As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team^[10] after averaging a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.^[11]

In 1981, Jordan earned a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in cultural geography. As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage).^[12] He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing.^[1] Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career.^[13] During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg).^[8] He was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.^[14]

Professional career[link]

During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting.^[12] He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas,^[15][16][17] and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star is Born" just over a month into his professional career.^[18][19] Jordan was also voted in as an All-Star starter by the fans in his rookie season.^[1] Controversy arose before the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving.^[1] This led to a so called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass him the ball throughout the game.^[1] The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year.^[20] The Bulls finished the season 38–44,^[21] and lost in the first round of the playoffs in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks.^[20]