60 Fun Facts About Washington Wizards

What name did the Wizards' Chinatown arena, shared with the city's NHL team, take in 2017?

It opened as the MCI Center in December 1997 and was known as Verizon Center before the 2017 renaming.

The team's original 1961 nickname referenced which Chicago industry?

'Packers' was hugely unpopular because it was also the name of the Bears' bitter rivals in Green Bay, so it lasted one season.

What was the franchise called during its second season, 1962–63, its last in Chicago?

Terry Dischinger won Rookie of the Year that season before the team moved to Baltimore.

The 'Bullets' name adopted after the 1963 relocation was borrowed from what?

The name lasted until 1997, when owner Abe Pollin decided it carried violent overtones.

Which rookie starred for the 1961–62 Chicago Packers, averaging 31.6 points and 19 rebounds a game?

He won Rookie of the Year and led the league in field-goal percentage, yet the team went 18–62.

Which owner bought the Bullets with two partners for $1.1 million in 1964 and held the team until 2009?

At his death he was the longest-tenured owner in NBA history.

Who is the only player in franchise history to win league MVP (1969) and Finals MVP (1978)?

He also won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, a feat matched only by Wilt Chamberlain.

With which pick did the Bullets draft both Earl Monroe (1967) and their future MVP centre (1968)?

The team jumped from 36 wins to 57 in Unseld's rookie year.

Which team swept the Bullets in their first NBA Finals appearance in 1971?

Baltimore had reached the Finals by beating the Knicks in a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden while Willis Reed was hurt.

Which Hall of Fame forward did Baltimore acquire from the Houston Rockets in 1972?

'The Big E' anchored the 1978 title team and was traded back to Houston in 1981.

What was the team's name during its first season in the Washington area, 1973–74?

They played at the new Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, and became the Washington Bullets a year later.

On which college campus did the Bullets play in November 1973 while their new arena was finished?

They used Cole Field House in College Park until the Capital Centre opened on December 2, 1973.

What was the Bullets' franchise-best record, set in 1974–75?

They went 36–5 at home yet were swept in the Finals by Golden State.

Which team stunned the heavily favoured Bullets with a four-game sweep in the 1975 NBA Finals?

Al Attles's Warriors won Games 1 and 4 at the Capital Centre.

Which coach did the Bullets fire after the 1975–76 season despite his 62 percent winning record?

He later coached the Celtics to two titles in the 1980s; Dick Motta replaced him in Washington.

Which team did the Bullets beat in seven games to win the 1978 NBA championship?

It was Washington's first pro sports title in 36 years and remains the franchise's only NBA championship.

Which phrase, coined by San Antonio journalist Dan Cook, became the rallying cry of the 1978 title run?

The 44–38 Bullets were long shots when the season began.

What was the Bullets' regular-season record in their 1977–78 championship season?

Their most recent 50-win season came the following year, 1978–79, at 54–28.

In the 1979 East finals the Bullets came back from 3–1 down to beat which team in a Game 7 classic?

They beat George Gervin's Spurs 107–105 before losing the Finals to Seattle in five.

In August 1979 the Bullets became the first NBA team to visit which country?

They beat the Bayi Rockets and the Shanghai Sharks on the trip.

Which 7-foot-7 shot-blocker set a franchise record with 397 blocks as a Bullets rookie in 1985–86?

His team blocked 716 shots that season, also a franchise record.

Which centre did the Bullets acquire from Philadelphia in 1986 in exchange for Jeff Ruland?

He led the team with 24.1 points a game in what was Washington's last winning season until 1996–97.

Which 5-foot-3 guard, the shortest player in NBA history, did the Bullets draft 12th overall in 1987?

He was later taken by Charlotte in the 1988 expansion draft and became a Hornets legend.

In 1990 the Bullets named which executive as the first female president of an NBA franchise?

She was the daughter of Peter O'Malley, a former president of the Washington Capitals.

Which 7-foot-7 Romanian centre won Most Improved Player with the Bullets in 1995–96?

He led the NBA in field-goal percentage the following season and later starred in the film 'My Giant'.

Which forward did the Bullets acquire from Golden State in 1994 for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks?

He reunited with fellow Fab Five member Juwan Howard, but shoulder injuries and off-court issues led to a 1998 trade to Sacramento.

Why did the team's owner decide in 1995 to drop the 'Bullets' name?

The recent assassination of his friend Yitzhak Rabin also weighed on him: 'If I save one life... it'll be worth it.'

Which of these was NOT among the five finalists in the contest to rename the Bullets?

'Stallions' rounded out the list; 'Wizards' won and became official on May 15, 1997.

Why did the 'Wizards' name generate controversy when it was adopted?

Washington's large African American population made the association especially awkward.

The 1997 Wizards colours of blue, black and bronze matched which other team with the same owner?

The Capitals had made the same switch from red, white and blue two years earlier.

In 1998 the Wizards became the 'brother team' of which WNBA franchise?

The teams were split when the Mystics were sold in 2005 but reunited under Ted Leonsis in 2010.

At what age did Michael Jordan come out of retirement to play for the Wizards in September 2001?

He had to give up his minority ownership stake to play, and led the team to a 26–21 record before the All-Star break.

Which high-schooler's first overall pick in 2001 helped get Michael Jordan fired as team president?

Pollin also cited poor trades and Jordan's benching of Larry Hughes for Tyronn Lue.

Which player, signed in 2003 thanks to Jordan's cap-clearing moves, became the face of the mid-2000s Wizards?

'Agent Zero' scored a franchise-record 60 points against the Lakers in December 2006.

Game 3 of the 2005 first round against Chicago was notable as the first NBA playoff game ever held where?

The Bullets' Capital Centre had been across the line in Landover, Maryland.

What franchise-record point total did the Wizards' star guard hit against the Lakers in 2006?

He also hit buzzer-beating threes to beat Milwaukee and Utah that January.

The 2009–10 Wizards season was derailed when their star guard admitted to storing what in his locker?

He was suspended after pantomiming shooting his teammates with finger guns during pregame introductions.

Which sitting US president attended a Wizards–Bulls game in February 2009, weeks after his inauguration?

Washington won 113–90, its second-biggest margin of a 19-win season.

Which owner took control of the Wizards in 2010 through Monumental Sports & Entertainment?

He published a manifesto of 101 changes, including bringing back the Bullets' red, white and blue.

Whom did the Wizards pick first overall after winning the 2010 draft lottery?

The Kentucky point guard became a five-time All-Star in Washington.

Which Wizards player became the first openly gay active athlete in a major North American team sport in 2013?

He had joined the team that February; he later played for the Brooklyn Nets.

Which veteran forward's two-year deal in 2014 helped the Wizards to their best record since 1979?

That 46–36 team swept Toronto for the first sweep in franchise history.

Which player did the Wizards draft third overall in 2012 to pair with their 2010 No. 1 pick?

He was later traded to Phoenix in 2023 for Chris Paul, who was flipped to Golden State.

In 2016–17 the Wizards won the Southeast Division for the first time since which year?

Their 49 wins were also the most since that 1978–79 season.

Whom did the Wizards receive from Houston when they traded their five-time All-Star point guard in 2020?

He averaged a triple-double for the fourth time in his career and was flipped to the Lakers the next summer.

Which Japanese forward did the Wizards select ninth overall in 2019?

He was the first Japanese player ever taken in the first round.

Which French centre did the Wizards take with the No. 2 pick in 2024?

He arrived after a 15–67 season that included the franchise's first winless calendar month.

The three stars on the Wizards' 2015 'monument ball' logo represent D.C. and which two states?

The same three-star motif is used by the NHL's Capitals.

The Wizards' pink 2022–23 'City' uniform paid homage to what?

It was unveiled alongside a matching Nationals 'City Connect' uniform.

Which 1978 title-team assistant returned as head coach in 1997 and ended a nine-year playoff drought?

The team won 16 of its last 21 and beat Cleveland in a win-or-go-home finale, then was swept by the Bulls.

Mayor Muriel Bowser's 2024 deal keeps the Wizards and Caps in D.C. until at least what year?

It followed the collapse of a plan to move both teams to Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Virginia.

Which decade saw the Bullets become the only team to play in four NBA Finals?

They reached the Finals in 1971, 1975, 1978 and 1979, winning only in 1978.

The Baltimore Bullets' original blue-and-orange colours matched which two other Baltimore teams?

Orange became the primary colour in the early 1970s before the switch to red, white and blue in 1973.

What was the Bullets' home record at the Capital Centre in their 60-22 season of 1974-75?

They beat the champion Celtics in six to reach the Finals, then were swept by Golden State, losing Games 1 and 4 at home.

Which team took Juwan Howard, Obinna Ekezie and Calvin Booth in the 2001 blockbuster trade?

Washington got back Hubert Davis, Courtney Alexander, Christian Laettner, Loy Vaught, Etan Thomas and $3 million.

How fast did fans buy 16,000-plus playoff tickets when the Wizards clinched in April 2005?

The 45-37 record was the franchise's best in 26 years and its first playoff trip under the Wizards name.

Which Georgetown All-American did the Wizards draft third overall in 2013?

Washington had jumped five spots in the lottery to pick third for the second straight year.

How much was Scott Brooks's five-year contract to coach the Wizards, signed in April 2016?

The former Oklahoma City coach arrived months after Randy Wittman was fired following a 41-41 season.

Whom did the Wizards trade away to acquire Kristaps Porziņģis at the 2022 deadline?

Bertans's five-year, $80 million deal had produced lacklustre results in Washington.

The 2023-24 Wizards became only the 15th team in NBA history to do what in February?

They finished 15-67 under interim coach Brian Keefe, with Kyle Kuzma leading at a career-high 22.2 points a game.