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.
Quick Facts
- 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
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.
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.
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