Why did Washington change their name from Bullets to Wizards?

The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team who compete in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the NBA.

Now known as the Wizards, the team initially played with the name ‘Chicago Packers’ in 1961 as the first expansion team in the NBA. After just one season, the team changed its name from Packers to Zephyrs. In 1963 the team moved from Chicago to Baltimore and changed its name to the Baltimore Bullets. The Bullets played in Baltimore for 10 years before moving to Washington in 1973 and have been based there ever since.

This offseason, the Wizards acquired Jordan Poole in a deal involving Chris Paul. Currently in a rebuilding phase, the franchise is looking to build around young players Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija.

Why did the Bullets change their name?

In 1995, Bullets owner Abe Pollin planned to change the team’s name due to the name ‘Bullets’ having acquired violent overtones. Also, at the time, the state’s image was of crime and violence.

A contest was then held to select a new name and the choices were narrowed down to Dragons, Express, Stallions, Sea Dogs, and the Wizards. In 1997, Wizards was chosen as the official name for the team.

While the name caused some controversy initially, it was accepted by the fans later. This name Wizards led to the team changing its logo and the traditional colors of the team were also changed from red, white, and blue to a lighter shade of blue. After a few years though, the team reverted back to its traditional colors.

In the history of the Wizards, the team has not had much success, but has made the playoffs multiple times. Wizards are currently coached by Wes Unseld Jr., son of Wizards and Bullets legend Wes Unseld.