The Washington Wizards compete in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the NBA.
This offseason, Wizards' management made a difficult decision to let go of their franchise player Bradley Beal. In return, they acquired star shooting guard Jordan Poole and Danilo Gallinari along with multiple second-round picks that will join Kyle Kuzma in Washington.
The Wizards front office was also part of the rebuild with the hiring of new team president Michael Winger and new general manager Will Dawkins, both of whom expressed their intentions of building the Wizards into a contending team in the near future.
Wes Unseld Jr. Tenure as Head Coach
Wes Unseld Jr has been the head coach of the Washington Wizards for two seasons, having coached his team to consecutive 35-47 regular season records. Unseld Jr. was hired in July 2021 and replaced Scott Brooks, who coached the Wizards for five seasons, and helped them advance to the playoffs thrice.
Son of Wizards legend and Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, Unseld Jr. began working in the NBA straight out of college. In 2005, he started working as a player scout and assistant coach for the Wizards.
After serving as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors and the Orlando Magic, Unseld Jr. joined the Denver Nuggets in 2015, where he worked for six seasons. In 2021, he was offered his first head coaching job and returned to Washington.
When were the Washington Wizards founded?
The Washington Wizards were founded as the Chicago Packers in 1961. The history of the Wizards cannot be discussed without going over its history of name changes.
The team changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs after one season, and then to the Baltimore Bullets after moving to Maryland. In 1973, the team played one season as the Capital Bullets after moving to Washington.
In Washington, the Bullets became one of the better teams and made the playoffs almost every season between 1974 and 1987. In this time period, the team made it to the NBA Finals four times, winning their one and only championship till date in 1978.
In 1997, team owner Abe Pollin changed the name to the Wizards due to the violent overtones associated with the word Bullet.
FAQs
A. The Wizards have four conference titles to their name (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979).
A. Hall of famer Elvin Hayes is the all-time leading scorer in Wizards history with 15,551 points.
A. Michael Winger is the team president of the Washington Wizards.
A. Will Dawkins is the General Manager of the Washington Wizards.
