WCWashington Capitols

Franchise history

The Washington Capitols were a charter member of the Basketball Association of America, joining for the league's inaugural 1946-47 season. This franchise is entirely distinct from the later Baltimore/Washington Bullets-Wizards lineage — the two are unrelated organizations that happened to play in the same metropolitan area at different times. The Capitols are historically notable chiefly as the first head-coaching stop for Red Auerbach, then in his late twenties, who led the team to a 49-11 record in that debut season — the best in the league — though Washington lost in the playoffs.

Auerbach coached the Capitols for three seasons before departing amid front-office friction, eventually taking over the Boston Celtics in 1950, where he built the dynasty that defined his legacy. Without Auerbach, the Capitols continued for a couple more seasons but struggled financially and competitively; the franchise folded in January 1951, partway through the 1950-51 season, one of several early NBA teams that did not survive the league's turbulent consolidation period.

Sources

• Washington Capitols — Wikipedia
• The Washington Capitols were the NBA's first contender to "flame out" — Bullets Forever

Runner-up finishes (1)

• 1948-49

See the full nba champions list for the winner each of these years.