The Washington Wizards are a franchise whose creation goes all the way back to 1961. The team was initially the Chicago Packers, before they changed their name and went by the Chicago Zephyrs for a season. However, after that, the team moved to Baltimore, where they became the Baltimore Bullets. That eventually became the Washington Bullets, and the Bullets became the Wizards in 1997 due to DC’s issues with gun violence.
Unfortunately, despite the team being around for over 60 years, they’ve been pretty mediocre in that time span. Oh, they’ve had their moments, but in the 63 years of the franchise, they’ve missed the playoffs in 33 of those years and lost 15 times in the first round. Still, today I’m going to reflect on the happy moments. These are the five greatest teams in Wizards history, ranked.
The 5 Greatest Teams in Wizards History
5. 1996-97
This was a fun Bullets team. Sure, they may have gotten swept in the first round…but it was by the Chicago Bulls during their 72-win season! Losing to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman is understandable. This Bullets team featured some young stars who would have incredible NBA careers. Most notably, Chris Webber led this team, but other notable players included Rod Strickland, Ben Wallace, Juwan Howard, Jaren Jackson, and the 7-foot-7 giant, Gheorghe Muresan. The team had some great players who were pretty young at the time, and even though most of them didn’t stick around, the future seemed bright. Even though almost a decade of mediocrity ensued after this season, the next Washington core group proved even more exciting.
4. 2004-05
The 2004-05 Wizards weren’t expected to make a ton of noise. After years of being mediocre, sports bettors set their win over-under at 33.5. However, the Wizards defied expectations by winning 45 games. Leading the charge, Gilbert Arenas earned his first All-Star appearance this season, averaging roughly 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per night. Antawn Jamison was the other key piece for this team; averaging 19.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, Jamison was also named an All-Star this season. Larry Hughes was the final member of this big three that made the team so fun; averaging 22 points per game, Hughes had the best season of his career, leading the league in steals and being named to the All-Defensive Team.
In the playoffs, the Wizards defeated the Chicago Bulls in six games. They lost the first two in the series but stormed back to win four in a row, marking their first playoff series victory since 1982. However, they would lose to the Heat in the next round. Led by a young Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal, the Heat were too much to handle, sweeping the Wizards. Still, after making it to the second round, the future seemed bright. It was…until scandal took over and suspensions ensued.
3. 1970-71
Here’s a fun fact: in Wizards history, the team has made it to the Finals four times. One of these times was the 1970-71 season. Unfortunately, the end of the Finals didn’t result in glory. Rather, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor at the time) showed the world just how dominant he was, winning his first of six championships. Still, the ’71 Baltimore Bullets should be remembered and commended for their efforts.
This Bullets team had a big three that really stood out. First, there was Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, who led the team by averaging 21.4 points per game. At the time, Monroe was 26 years old, and entering the prime of his career. A bit younger, franchise legend Wes Unseld was entering the early days of his NBA career. Being undersized didn’t stop Unseld from dominating the paint, however; despite it being his third NBA season, he averaged 14.1 points and 16.9 rebounds per game, an astonishing amount. Unseld’s game was impressive from his debut; keep in mind, this is one of two men to ever win NBA MVP as a rookie (the other being Wilt Chamberlain).
Finally, Gus Johnson also helped anchor the paint for this team. Selected as an All-Star, Johnson averaged 18.2 points and 17.1 rebounds per game. (he and Unseld were something else on the boards!). With those three and the rest of the Bullets squad working together, they had one of the best seasons in franchise history. Still, I have the two seasons below ranked above this team.
2. 2016-17
The 2016-17 Wizards were the best version of the Wizards in modern history, hands down. If you were a Wizards fan born in the 2000s, then you likely remember this team and the excitement they brought to DC. The team was led by a prime John Wall, who was an absolute beast before all of his injuries. He averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists per game, being named an All-Star and finishing 7th in MVP voting. Not to be outdone, Bradley Beal also averaged 23.1 points per game, though acting as a three-point shooting specialist instead of the all-around offensive weapon he became later in his career.
The rest of this Wizards supporting cast was amazing too. Marcin Gortat was anchoring the paint. Kelly Oubre was still young and had a ton of upside. Markieff Morris provided great value on the wing and inside the paint. Otto Porter played well for his value, having yet to sign that huge deal that made him one of the most overpaid players in the league for a while.
For this Wizards team, the playoffs were electrifying, even if they lost in the second round. After defeating the Hawks in six games, the Wizards faced the Celtics, led by Isaiah Thomas and a well-balanced squad. The series went back and forth, with Wizards fans hatred of Kelly Olynyk growing by the game. However, when all hope seemed lost towards the end of Game 6, John Wall hit a three that immortalized him in Wizards history. That three and Game 6 were the highlight of being a Wizards fan in the past two decades. The Wizards may have lost Game Seven in Boston, but the future seemed bright. Unfortunately…well, you know what happened next.
1. The Best Team in Wizards History: 1977-78
The 1977-78 Bullets had to be the best team in Wizards history. After all, in the four times that the franchise has ever gone to the Finals, 1978 was the only year in which the team won the title. Led by Wes Unseld, this team didn’t have the most impressive regular season record. They only won 44 games, but it was their playoff play that elevated them to another level.
A new supporting catch surrounded Unseld as he grew older. Instead of Monroe, Elvin Hayes stood by Unseld’s side, leading the team in scoring. He averaged 19.7 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Bob Dandridge proved to be another key piece of this title team; he averaged 19.3 points per game. Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak wasn’t too shabby either, putting up double digits.
At this point in his career, Unseld’s scoring had dipped. However, his rebounding was as crazy as ever. The Bullets swept the Hawks in the first round and beat the Spurs in six in the semifinals. They did the same to the 76ers in the Conference Finals, setting up a Finals against the Seattle Supersonics. The series traded back and forth, but the Wizards won in seven games, finally bringing a championship to the DMV area. Hopefully, they won’t be the only team in franchise history to do so. Even if (or when) many other championship teams come afterward, however, their legacy in Wizards history will be secure.
