Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards were known as the Washington Bullets until 1998, prior to which they were the Baltimore Bullets (along with several other cities and names that we won’t bother going into here). As the Bullets, the team saw considerable success in the 1970s, reaching the NBA Finals four times. Led by Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld, the Bullets won it all in 1978 in a thrilling seven-game series victory over the Seattle SuperSonics. The team’s fortunes took a dive over the following two decades, failing at first to progress in the playoffs and then missing them entirely for eight seasons in a row. In 1997, they were rebranded the Washington Wizards because the name “Bullets” was deemed by some as sounding too violent in light of the city’s gun crime problems at the time. The Wizards’ first seven seasons failed to cast any sort of spell over their fans (or opponents) as they continued to miss the playoffs, prompting part-owner Michael Jordan to come out of retirement at 38 and lead the team in scoring for two seasons. Even his Airness was not able to lift the Wizards into the playoffs, however, and after he retired, the team’s main owner controversially fired him as president. In the years since, the Wizards have appeared on and off in the playoffs but have not progressed past the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Last season, the team finished the regular season in 12th, well out of the playoffs. With Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, and Kyle Kuzma on the floor, loyal Washington Wizards fans will be crossing their fingers that their team will be able to turn the tables in 2023-24.