WWWashington Wizards

Franchise history

The Wizards took their current name in 1997, when owner Abe Pollin rebranded the Washington Bullets, explaining that the word "Bullets" had come to feel like an uncomfortable association given Washington D.C.'s high rate of gun violence in the early 1990s. The new era opened with modest results, then drew national attention when Michael Jordan came out of retirement to play for the Wizards from 2001 to 2003 as a minority owner turned player; his return boosted attendance but produced two 37-45 seasons and no playoff berth, and Pollin fired him from the front office afterward.

A more competitive stretch followed in the mid-2000s behind Gilbert Arenas, who led Washington back to the playoffs for the first time as the Wizards in 2005. The 2010s brought the John Wall and Bradley Beal era, including a 2016-17 division title, but the pairing was defined by repeated first-round and second-round playoff exits rather than a deep postseason run. Beal was traded away as the Wall-Beal core was dismantled in the early 2020s, and Washington has been in an extended rebuild since, still chasing a first championship since the Bullets' 1978 title.

Sources

• Washington Wizards — Wikipedia
• A Look Back: When the Washington Bullets became the Wizards — WUSA9