Team:
Washington Wizards
Sport: NBA Basketball
Background: The Washington Wizards
are a National Basketball Association team based in
Washington, D.C..
Founded: 1961
Formerly known as: Chicago Packers,
Chicago Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets, Capital Bullets,
Washington Bullets
Home Arena: MCI Center
Uniform Colors: Blue, White, Gold,
and Black
Logo design: A blue stylized wizard
standing in front of a gold crescent moon and star
NBA Championships: 1977-78
Franchise history:
The Washington Wizards began as the Chicago
Packers in 1961, spent several seasons in Baltimore,
and finally landed in Washington, as the Washington
Bullets, in 1974.
After achieving only moderate success for a decade,
the Bullets developed into a solid unit in the 1970s,
built around rugged center Wes Unseld and talented
scorer and rebounder Elvin Hayes. Washington made
it to the NBA Finals four times during the 1970s and
defeated the Seattle SuperSonics for the NBA championship
in 1977-78.
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The Bullets were a model of consistency through
the '80s, establishing an NBA record by winning at
least 35 games in each of 22 consecutive years, from
1967-68 through 1988-89. A seven-year postseason drought
ended in 1996-97 when the Bullets advanced to the
playoffs, losing a hard-fought series to the Chicago
Bulls. The final game of that series, a 96-95 loss
on April 30, 1997, marked the end of an era.
On May 15, the team officially became known as the
Washington Wizards, a decision made by owner Abe Pollin
in conjunction with the team's anti-violence campaign.
At the same time, the team prepared for a move from
suburban Landover, Maryland, to the MCI Center in
downtown Washington.
Basketball Hall of Famers:
• Walt
Bellamy
• Elvin Hayes
• Earl "The
Pearl" Monroe
• Wes Unseld
Not to be forgotten:
• Manute
Bol
• Bob Dandridge
• Juwan Howard
• Gus Johnson
• Michael Jordan
• Bernard King
• Gheorghe
Muresan
• Chris Webber
Retired numbers:
• 11
- Elvin Hayes
• 25 - Gus
Johnson
• 41 - Wes
Unseld
Current Stars:
• Gilbert
Arenas
• Kwame Brown
• Brendan Haywood
• Larry Hughes
• Antawn Jamison
External links:
Washington Wizards official web site (http://www.nba.com/wizards/)
Washington Wizards Official Summer Pro League web
site (http://www.summerproleague.com/)
