Chicago Packers
The original NBA team from Chicago that became the Washington Wizards.
The Chicago Packers were a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 1961–62 season. The franchise was established in 1961 as the NBA's first expansion team, prompted by Abe Saperstein's American Basketball League. The team's original name was a reference to Chicago's meatpacking industry; their home arena was the International Amphitheater, next door to the Union Stock Yards. The name was extremely unpopular since it was the same name 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.
- League
- National Basketball Association (NBA)
- Years Active
- 1961–62
- Franchise Fate
- Relocated to Baltimore in 1963 to become the Baltimore Bullets, the direct predecessor of the Washington Wizards
- Relation to Wizards
- Direct predecessor franchise; the Chicago Packers are the original incarnation of the Washington Wizards via the Baltimore Bullets and subsequent relocations
Lore & Background
The Chicago Packers played only one season in Chicago before becoming the Chicago Zephyrs. 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 represented the team in the All-Star Game, scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, and was named the league Rookie of the Year. The team finished with the NBA's worst record at 18–62. In 1963, the franchise moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking their name from a 1940s–1950s Baltimore Bullets BAA/NBA franchise. The NBA returned to Chicago in 1966 when the Chicago Bulls began play.
In Their Own Story
The lights hummed over the International Amphitheatre in 1967, casting long shadows across the court where the Chicago Packers took their final steps as a local entity. Fans cheered for a team that would soon vanish from this city, unaware that another basketball lineage was already carving its path toward the East Coast.
Reader's Guide
The Chicago Packers were the original incarnation of what is now the Washington Wizards. The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers in the NBA. After one season, they were renamed the Chicago Zephyrs. In 1963, they moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Bullets. 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 team plays its home games at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Did You Know?
- The Chicago Packers were the NBA's first expansion team.
- Walt Bellamy was the team's star rookie, averaging 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds per game.
- The Packers' name was extremely unpopular because it was the same as the NFL's Green Bay Packers.
- After only one year, the team changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs.
More in Club History & Eras
Elsewhere in the Washington Wizards universe
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