A Basic History of the Washington Wizards Basketball Team

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association. The Wizards play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the NBA.

The Washington Wizards are currently owned by Abe Pollin and coached by Eddie Jordan. The official colors of the Wizards are blue, gold, black, and white.

The franchise was founded in 1961 in Chicago. From 1961-1962, the team was known as the Packers, and from 1962-1963, the team was known as the Zephyrs.

In 1963, the franchise moved to Baltimore and became the Bullets. In 1973, the team moved to Washington D.C. and became the Capital Bullets. In 1974, the team changed its name to the Washington Bullets. In 1997, the team changed its name from Bullets to Wizards, citing the idea of bullets and violence as their reason for changing it.

The franchise has won a total of seven division titles in 1969, 1971-1975, and 1979. Their four conference titles were won in 1971, 1975, 1978, and 1979, and their only NBA Championship was won in 1978.

The franchise started by playing their home games in the International Amphitheatre from 1961-1962. From 1962-1963, the team played in the Chicago Coliseum. The Baltimore Civic Center, also known as the Baltimore Arena, was their home arena from 1963-1973. From 1973-1997, the team played its home games in the Capital Centre, also known as US Airways Arena. In 1997, the team moved to its current location, the MCI Center, currently known as the Verizon Center.

Five former players for the Washington Wizards franchise are currently in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. Those five players are Walt Bellamy, Elvin Hayes, Earl Monroe, Wes Unseld, and Moses Malone. Michael Jordan, who played for the Washington Wizards at the end of his career, will go into the Hall of Fame as soon as he becomes eligible.

The Washington Wizards franchise has retired three numbers. The players whose jersey numbers have been retired are Elvin Hayes - 11, Gus Johnson - 25, and Wes Unseld - 41.

Some other former fan favorites include Juwan Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Chris Webber, Calbert Cheaney, and, of course, Michael Jordan, even though he wasn't nearly the star he was when he played with the Bulls.

The current Washington Wizards team is a team that consistently competes in the Eastern Conference, although they haven't been able to take the next step in recent years. The stars of the current Wizards team are Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison.