The Washington Wizards are a Washington, D.C. based American professional team in the NBA. They compete in the Southeast Division as members of the Eastern Conference. Their home games are held at Capital One Arena in Chinatown. The Wizards are owned by Ted Leonsis, Chairman and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
The Wizards were established as the Chicago Packers of Chicago in 1961. They were renamed Chicago Zephrys in 1963 and then the Baltimore Bullets after they moved to Baltimore. The team moved to Washington and changed their name to the Capital Bullets, first in 1973, and the Washington Bullets, the next season. They rebranded themselves as the Washington Wizards in 1997.
The Wizards have been to the NBA Finals four times, winning it in 1978. Wes Unseld is the only Washington Wizards player to win NBA MVP in 1969 and Finals MVP in 1978.
Washington Wizards 2023 Draft Picks
The Washington Wizards acquired three players in the 2023 NBA Draft. They picked Jarace Walker in the first round with the eighth overall pick and traded him to the Indiana Pacers for Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards also picked Tristan Vukcevic and Trayce Jackson-Davis in the second round. However, they traded Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was their 57th overall pick of the second round of the draft, to the Golden State Warriors.
Bilal Coulibaly (acquired in exchange for Jarace Walker)
Bilal Coulibaly was born on July 26, 2004 in Saint-Cloud, France. He stands at 6’6” and plays as a small forward. He was picked seventh overall by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, but was later traded to the Washington Wizards for Jarace Walker. Coulibaly has represented France at the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2022.
Tristan Vukcevic
Tristan Vukcevic was born on March 11, 2003 in Siena, Italy. The 7’0” plays as a power forward / center. He played for Real Madrid and Partizan and won the ABA League championship in 2023 with Partizan. Vukcevic impressed the Wizards after he scored 21 points in 17 minutes at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine and was therefore selected 42nd overall by the franchise.
FAQs
A. Yes, the Wizards have won one NBA title in franchise history, in 1978.
A. The Wizards have won 50 games in a season five times, three times as the Baltimore Bullets and two times as the Washington Bullets.
A. The longest losing streak for the Wizards is 16 games in the 2009-10 season of the NBA.
A. The Washington Wizards drafted Jarace Walker in the first round and Tristan Vukcevic and Trayce Jackson-Davis in the second round of the NBA draft. They traded Jarace Walker for Bilal Coulibaly. They also traded Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Golden State Warriors.
A. The team was founded as the Chicago Packers in 1961. They were renamed the Washington Wizards in 1997 after a series of rebranding in between.
