Pedro Oliveira
We present the ranking of the top 5 Washington Wizards players who left their legacy through the multiple years and name changes that the franchise has survived in the NBA. With six franchise name changes and only one NBA championship in their history books, the Wizards have been one of the oldest franchises with the least amount of success in the elite American basketball league.
However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a rich history and great players who have left their mark for life on the field. Therefore, we bring you the 5 most important players in the history of the team from the capital.
Gus Johnson
One of the first pioneers in defining the game above the rim, the athletic 1.98-meter power forward, was selected in the 1963 draft with the 10th pick in the second round of the draft.
Johnson would go on to become one of the most athletic players in NBA history to that point, becoming one of the league’s premier dunkers and providing a spectacle for fans of the Baltimore Bullets (the Wizards’ name at the time).
He averaged 17.5 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 560 games over nine seasons with the Bullets, earning five All-Star Game selections, four All-NBA quintets and two All-Defensive quintets.
4.- Earl Monroe
Immediately becoming one of the best players in the NBA with his arrival through the 1967 draft, Monroe had five seasons with the Baltimore Bullets that would leave him forever marked in history.
Averaging 23.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 328 games and led by Monroe, Wes Unseld and Gus Johnson, they took the Bullets to their first NBA Finals in history, where they were swept in 4 games by the Milwaukee Bucks of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson (1971).
He earned two All-Star Game selections, an All-NBA team and the 1968 Rookie of the Year in his five seasons with Baltimore. He added to his legacy with the New York Knicks by winning two championships with them.
John Wall
Although he did not have the best farewell to the franchise, Wall was the main piece in the resurgence of the Wizards during the last decade of the NBA and since the departure of Michael Jordan from the Washington team.
Selected as the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, the point guard from the University of Kentucky would become the team’s franchise player, leading them to regain prominence in the Eastern Conference again, winning their last divisional title to date (2016-2017 season), and their first since 1979.
Before being traded to the Houston Rockets after several injuries and health complications for Wall in 2020, he averaged 19 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 613 games played in over nine seasons with Washington.
He also earned five All-Star Game selections, an All-NBA quintet and a defensive quintet. Wall ranks as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (5282), steals (976), and fourth all-time scorer with 10879 points scored.
Elvin Hayes
The Big E was one of the best players during his time, and definitely his best performance came with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (yes, they had three name changes during his time with the team), being part of the only NBA championship team in the capital franchise’s history.
Through nine seasons and 731 games, Hayes averaged 21.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, and also earned eight All-Star Game selections, six All-NBA quintets, two All-Defensive quintets and reached three NBA Finals, winning the 1978 NBA Finals against the Seattle Supersonics.
He is the Wizards’ all-time scoring leader with 15551 points scored. He is also the all-time leader in blocks (1558) and free throws (3046).
1.- Wes Unseld
The only player in history along with Wilt Chamberlain to win MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season, Unseld was selected by the Bullets in the 1968 draft as the second overall pick, and would become arguably the greatest player in franchise history.
Through 13 seasons, all played with the Washington team, Unseld would be one of the most special centers in NBA history, being only 2.01 meters tall, but compensating for it with one of the best defensive and rebounding techniques in the entire sport.
With the Bullets, he earned five All-Star Game selections, an All-NBA team, an MVP and Rookie of the Year award in the 1968-1969 season and the only Finals MVP award in the organization’s history, winning the 1978 NBA championship against the Seattle Supersonics, despite having played in four Finals in his entire career.
Unseld is the all-time leader in appearances for the Washington team, with 984 games, and is also the all-time leader in rebounds (13769).
