Bullets vs Los Angeles Lakers
The Washington Wizards, originally the Chicago Packers, have a rich history including an NBA championship in 1978.
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Capital One Arena, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., an arena they share with the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Georgetown University men's basketball team. The team is owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Quick Facts
- Conference alignment
- East vs. West
- Key era
- 1970s - 1980s
- Legendary connection
- Elgin Baylor (Lakers only)
- Home arenas
- Capital Centre; Great Western Forum
- Status
- Historic Matchups
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.
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. Prior to the 1964–65 season the Bullets traded for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry and Wali Jones. Howell helped the Bullets reach the playoffs for the first time. In the 1965 NBA playoffs, the Bullets stunned the St. Louis Hawks 3–1, and advanced to the Western Conference finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2. Within the first two months of that season, the Bullets were purchased 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 1967 and Wes Unseld in 1968, both number two overall. The team improved to 57 wins in the 1968–69 season, and Unseld received both the rookie of the year and MVP awards. In the 1970–71 season, the Bullets defeated the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals to advance to their first NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks. After acquiring Elvin Hayes and drafting Kevin Porter, the Bullets moved to the Washington area in 1973, becoming the Capital Bullets, then the Washington Bullets. The 60–22 Bullets made it back to the 1975 NBA playoffs, defeating the Buffalo Braves and Boston Celtics to reach the NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. In 1977–78, the Bullets finished 44–38 and won the NBA championship.
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