Name Change
In 1996, the Washington Bullets underwent a significant rebranding due to societal concerns regarding the team name’s association with gun violence. Owner Abe Pollin expressed discomfort with the negative connotations surrounding the name “Bullets” and decided it was no longer fitting for the team’s identity.
Pollin announced the intent to change the team’s name, citing a desire to distance the franchise from violent imagery. He highlighted that the former team slogan, “Faster than a speeding bullet,” no longer aligned with the evolving societal landscape, prompting the need for a more appropriate and positive team name.
The transition process involved engaging the public in an open call for suggestions, inviting fans to submit names that better represented the team’s values and aspirations. Among the options presented to the public, including Stallions, Dragons, Express, Seadogs, and Wizards, the majority of votes led to the selection of “Wizards” as the new team name in May 1997.
The Washington Wizards
With their new name in place, the Washington Wizards began the 1997–98 season playing five home games at the Capital Centre before moving to the new MCI Center (later Capital One Arena) on December 2, 1997. The team introduced a new color scheme of blue and gold, versus the traditional red, white, and blue. The Wizards finished the season with a 42-40 record, but just missed the playoffs.
The next few years were ugly, in the 2000-2001 season, the team finished with a 19-63 record, the most losses the team had ever suffered in one season.
2001-2003: Michael Jordan Era
In 2000, retired NBA superstar Michael Jordan became minority owner and the president of basketball operations of the team. He came out of retirement to play for the Wizards the following year, but he was relatively ineffective in his return to the court and retired permanently in 2003. Soon thereafter, citing poor management decisions by Jordan, Pollin shocked fans and commentators by choosing not to retain the best-known player in basketball history as team president.
2003-2010: Gilbert Arena Era
In 2003, the Wizards signed one of the most promising young talents in the NBA, guard Gilbert Arenas. Arenas was in his third year in the NBA after playing with the Warriors for two seasons. Forward Antawn Jamison was also acquired at this time.
2004-05: Gilbert Arenas guided the Wizards to the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season, back when they were known as the Bullets. They defeated the Chicago Bulls in six games in the first round, winning their first playoff series since the 1981-82 season. However, in the semifinals, they were swept by the Miami Heat.
2005-06: Fanpages nickname Arenas “Agent Zero” and the name sticks. Forward Caron Butler was signed to the Wizards, forming Washington’s new “Big 3”, a trio made up of him, Jamison, and Arenas. Clinched a playoff berth in consecutive years for the first time since 1987. Their first round playoff series versus the Cavaliers was widely seen as the most competitive matchup in the 2006 playoffs, though they were swept.
2006-07: Despite injuries to Arenas and Butler, the Wizards are able to advance all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but are eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep.
2007-08: Injuries continue to hurt the team, Arenas out for a total of 62 games (out of 82) and Butler out for 20 games. This depleted roster again faces the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the first round, this time eliminated in six games.
2008-09: Team finished tied for franchise-low regular season record of 19-63, same as the 2000-01 season and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004-05.
2009-10: Long-time Wizards/Mystics/Capital owner Abe Pollin passes away at the age of 85. Pollin was the longest-tenured owner of an NBA team, holding the Packers / Zephyrs / Bullets / Wizards franchise for their entire inception, 46 years.
2010-2023: Wall-Beal Era
2010-11: Businessman Ted Leonsis takes over ownership of the franchise. The Wizards draft superstar guard John Wall first overall in the 2010 draft.
2011-12: The logo was changed to mashup with the Bullet’s “hand” logo” and their color scheme was reverted back to red, white, and blue.
2012-13: Superstar guard Bradley Beal is drafted with the third overall pick, creating a powerful backcourt for the Wizards.
2013-14: The Beal and Wall duo are beginning to show their superstar talent, having the Wizards best regular season record since 1996-97. The Wizards clinch the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season, and beat the Chicago Bulls in five games in the first round. This was only the third time in franchise history that a Washington NBA team advanced past the opening round of the playoffs since losing the 1979 NBA Finals. They lost to the Indiana Pacers 2-4 in the semifinals.
2014-15: Hall of Famer forward Paul Pierce was signed to the roster this season, forming a “Big 3”. The Wizards had their best record since 1978-79 and secured a spot in the playoffs. The Wizards swept the Toronto Raptors in four games. The Eastern Conference semifinals versus the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks was extremely competitive, with Pierce making two memorable miracle game-winning baskets, the Wizards ultimately fell short 2-4.
2015-16: Paul Pierce opted out of his second-year contract option and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Wizards had clear gaps in their roster and only went 41-41, coming short of the playoffs.
2016-17: Under new head coach Scott Brooks, the John Wall and Bradley Beal Wizards achieved a regular season record of 49-33, and won their first division title since 1979, ending the franchise’s 38 year drought. In the playoffs, the Wizards defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the first round, advancing to the semifinals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in a tightly contested seven games.
2017-18: The Wizards maintained a competitive edge and secured another playoff berth. In a hard-fought series, they were eliminated by the Toronto Raptors in the first round in six games.
2018-19: This season would mark the end of the John Wall era in Washington, as he played his last game as a Wizard on December 26, 2018, and would undergo a season-ending surgery on his left heel and then later an Achilles injury from slipping and falling in his home that would cause him to miss the entire 2019-20 season. The Wizards fell short of the playoffs.
2019-2020: Challenging season due to the absence of John Wall. This NBA season was also suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the NBA created the “bubble” environment in Florida, the Wizards were one of 22 teams invited. Despite their efforts, their games in the NBA bubble did not result in a playoff berth.
2020-21: During this season, the Wizards experienced a mix of ups and downs. Bradley Beal narrowly missed winning the scoring title, averaging 31.3 ppg versus Stephen Curry’s 32.0 ppg. They navigated through a competitive Eastern Conference and made a late-season push for a play-in tournament spot. Led by Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, they showcased resilience and eliminated the Indiana Pacers in the play-in tournament. However, they were ultimately swept in the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. This was their most recent playoff appearance.
2021-22: The Wizards traded away Russell Westbrook and acquired Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis. Hall of Famer Wes Unseld’s son, Wes Unseld Jr. is hired as head coach. At first, the Wizards appear to be ready to create a “Big 3” around Beal, Kuzma, and Porzingis.
2022-23: Eliminated from the playoff contention for the second straight year, general manager Tommy Sheppard is fired. The new front office shifted the team’s direction to a rebuilding phase, with Kristaps Porzingis traded to the Celtics, and Bradley Beal traded traded to the Suns. This is the first time since 2009 without having John Wall or Bradley Beal on the Wizards roster. Kyle Kuzma resigns with the Wizards and Jordan Poole is traded to the Wizards, becoming our team captains to this date.
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