Washington Wizards

Lore & Background

The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers in Chicago; they were renamed the Chicago Zephyrs in the following season. In 1963, they moved to Baltimore, and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking the name from a previous team of the same name. In 1973, the team moved to the Washington metropolitan area and changed its name first to the Capital Bullets, then the following season to Washington Bullets. In 1997, they rebranded themselves as the Wizards. The franchise has played in four NBA Finals, winning in 1978. They have appeared in 28 playoffs, won four conference titles (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979), and won eight division titles (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 2017). Their best season record, in 1974–75, was 60–22. Wes Unseld is the only player in franchise history to be named NBA MVP (1969) and Finals MVP (1978). Four players (Walt Bellamy, Terry Dischinger, Earl Monroe, and Unseld) have won the Rookie of the Year award. Unseld won both league MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Madison Square Garden hangs heavy with the scent of floor wax and anticipation. A Knicks defender sets his feet, eyes locked on the Wizards' guard driving from the perimeter. The crowd erupts as the whistle blows, a harsh sound cutting through the roar. It is not just another Tuesday night; it is a reminder that in this city, no opponent is given an inch. As the ball arcs toward the rim, the history of decades past—of Bullets and Knicks battling for the East—echoes in the silence between heartbeats before the buzzer sounds.

Reader's Guide

The Wizards began playing as the Chicago Packers in 1961, as the NBA's first expansion team. 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. 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 name was a reference to Chicago's meatpacking industry; their home arena, the International Amphitheater, was next door to the Union Stock Yards. After only one year, the organization changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs and played its home games at the Chicago Coliseum. In their only season as the Zephyrs, Terry Dischinger won Rookie of the Year honors. In 1963 the franchise moved to Baltimore, and became the Baltimore Bullets, playing their home games at the Baltimore Civic Center. In their first year in Baltimore, the Bullets finished fourth in a five–team Western Division. Prior to the 1964–65 season the Bullets traded Dischinger, Rod Thorn and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry and Wali Jones. Howell 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, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2. Within the first two months of that season, the Bullets were purchased from original franchise managing partner Dave Trager by Abe Pollin, Earl Foreman and Arnold Heft for $1.1 million, on November 23, 1964. In the late 1960s, the Bullets drafted Earl Monroe in the 1967 draft, number two overall, and Wes Unseld in the following year's draft, also number two overall. The team improved from 36 wins to 57 in the 1968–69 season, and Unseld received both the rookie of the year and MVP awards. The Bullets hosted the 1969 NBA All-Star Game and reached the playoffs, but 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 seven games, the Knicks emerged victorious again. In the 1970–71 season, the 42–40 Bullets again met the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. With Knicks captain Willis Reed injured, the Bullets won game seven at Madison Square Garden 93–91 to advance to their first NBA Finals, where they were swept in four games by the Mi

Did You Know?

• Wes Unseld is the only player in franchise history to be named NBA MVP (1969) and Finals MVP (1978).
• Four players (Walt Bellamy, Terry Dischinger, Earl Monroe, and Wes Unseld) have won the Rookie of the Year award.
• The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers, the NBA's first expansion team.
• The team's best season record was 60–22 in 1974–75.