All-Time Washington Wizards Mount Rushmore
The four most important Wizards in franchise history
The Washington Wizards have been around for 56 years and have gone through many changes since the team landed in the nation’s capital. The franchise established itself in 1961 as the Chicago Packers and a season later changed their names to the Chicago Zephyrs.
In 1963, the team relocated to Baltimore, Maryland and called themselves the Baltimore Bullets. The move to the nation’s capital happened in 1971 and the team was renamed twice from the Capital Bullets to the Washington Bullets. Their final name change to the Washington Wizards came about in 1997, as the team was ready to re-brand themselves because of the negative connotation of their former name the Bullets.
As for players, Washington has seen their fair share of great players in the 56 years the franchise has been around. Although their one and only championship came in 1979 against the Seattle SuperSonics, Washington has been a sneaky hot bed for talent for quite sometime. Without further ado here is my Mount Rushmore for the Washington Wizards.
Elvin Hayes
One of the most talented power forwards to every play the game, Elvin Hayes had one of the prettiest turnaround jumpers you’ll ever see. As smooth as he was on the offensive end, Hayes also possessed an equally great presence on the defensive end. It was this balanced, yet dominate play style that landed him the honor of one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
Continuing with accolades, Hayes is 10th all-time in scoring with 27,313 points, 1st in franchise history for blocks with 1,558, missed a meager nine games in his entire 16-year career in the league and is a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame.
During his tenure with the franchise, Hayes averaged 21.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks shot 45.8 percent from the floor and led the Wizards to their only championship victory in franchise history in 1979.
Wes Unseld
Alongside Hayes on the block was gruesome center Wes Unseld. The two were a force to be reckoned with for opposing big men. Unseld, the more physical of the two players, was built to play down low and he was well aware of it. If he wasn’t bullying a player down low, he was hitting them with a bone stifling pick and if he wasn’t doing that he was establishing himself as a force on the glass.
However, Unseld’s trademark move might be unfamiliar to newer fans of the NBA today. Unseld was known for his full length outlet passes that went right over top of the defense, into his teammates hand for the easy score. Players like Kevin Love and LeBron James have adopted that ability and made it their own.
Along with his entrance to the Hall of Fame, Unseld joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to be named Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the same season and is the only member to appear in all four of the franchise’s Final appearances. Unseld was the epitome of hard work, hustle and dedication during his time in the league and for that he garners a spot on the Wizards’ Mount Rushmore.
Gilbert Arenas
This was a tough one. Although Gilbert Arenas committed one of the dumber acts in franchise history with ‘Gun Gate’ his play still deserves to be recognized. For me, Arenas was one of the first players I ever gravitated towards as a younger fan of the game. Nicknames like Agent Zero or the Hibachi Grill were part of Arenas’ allure and personality. However, his play on the court is what really dragged people in. The confidence in which Arenas played the game of basketball was like no other. No shot was too deep, no shot was too impossible and no defender could slow him down.
Of his many highlights, (I remember like they were yesterday) were dropping 60 points on Kobe Bryant, hitting a game winner against the Utah Jazz where he turned around before the shot went in and threw his hands into the air and the playoff battles with a young LeBron James.
The spectacle that was Gilbert Arenas was like no other, but the terms in which he left the the franchise wasn’t an ideal one. But, the success and entertainment value he brought to a Wizards’ franchise is almost unmatched and for that he deserves a spot here.
John Wall
I know what you’re thinking, John Wall is already one of the top Wizards of All-Time? Outlandish! Well, I don’t think it’s too far fetched to start putting Wall in this conversation now, because he’ll project as one of the top guys when all is said and done.
After being drafted first overall, Wall was given the keys to a totaled car and was told to lead the Wizards at 20 years of age. While it was a tall task, Wall never once shied away from being the face of the franchise. In the years since, Wall has molded himself into the leader Washington envisioned him to be and is as unselfish as they come. Wall has been through three different coaching staffs, players with sub par talent, players he’s gotten huge paydays for and more importantly doubters.
He’s developed himself into an elite point guard in this league and is in the conversation for second best player in the Eastern conference. Moreover, Wall has thrown his hat into the face of the entire city of Washington D.C. because of his loyalty and love for the city. He’s adopted this city to be his hometown, brought back basketball relevancy and is one of the bigger personalities around the league.
As for accolades, Wall is a four time All-Star, the franchise leader in total assists with 4,610, franchise leader in total steals with 870 and 7th in franchise history in points with 9,419 points. In brief, Wall is the epitome of Washington D.C. sports and when his player days are over, may very well be one of the best Wizards’ players of all time.
Honorable Mentions
Gus Johnson
Gus Johnson was named to the All Rookie team during the 1963–64 season as a member of the Baltimore Bullets, appeared in five All-Star games, was an All-NBA selection four times and was named to the All-Defensive team twice. Johnson is 3rd in franchise history in minutes (19,723), rebounds (7,243), and rebounds per game (12.9).
Antawn Jamison
The North Carolina Tar Heel paved out a pretty underrated career for himself especially with his sint in Washington. In six seasons on the Wizards, Jamison averaged 20.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, shot 44.7 percent from the floor and appeared in two All-Star games. His unorthodox play towards the rim made him special and was an even better person.
Earl Monroe
Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe spent five seasons on the Bullets where he named 1967–68 Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star and was named to an All-NBA team during the 1968–69 season when he was second in the league in scoring behind eventual Bullet — Elvin Hayes.
