Ayrton Oneill
The Washington Wizards, formerly known as the Washington Bullets, are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team has had a rich history, including winning an NBA championship in the 1977-78 season and reaching the NBA playoffs numerous times. Notable players and figures associated with the team include Michael Jordan, who came out of retirement to play for the Wizards, Dwayne Washington, and P.J. Washington, who played for the Charlotte Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks. The Wizards have also had several name changes and logo redesigns throughout their history, with the most recent logo change occurring in 2023.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Team name | Washington Wizards |
| Former name | Washington Bullets |
| Year founded | 1961 |
| Former names | Chicago Packers, Chicago Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets, Capital Bullets |
| Year of name change to Wizards | 1997 |
| Owner | Ted Leonsis |
| Former owner | Abe Pollin |
| President of basketball operations and minority owner | Michael Jordan |
| Home ground | Capital One Arena |
| Location | Chinatown, Washington, D.C. |
| Division | Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference |
| Notable players | Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Michael Jordan, Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, Russell Westbrook |
| Notable seasons | 1977-78 (NBA champions), 1997-98, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2020-21 |
| Related teams | Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics, Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team |
| University teams | George Washington Revolutionaries, formerly known as the Colonials |
| Notable university players | Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Mike Hall, Yinka Dare, Ricky Lindo, Chris Monroe |
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What You'll Learn
The George Washington Revolutionaries
The 2011-2012 basketball season, Lonergan's first with the team, resulted in a 10-21 record (5-11 in the Atlantic 10). However, by the 2013-2014 season, Lonergan had successfully rebuilt the program, finishing third in the Atlantic 10 with an impressive 24-8 record (11-5 in the Atlantic 10). The team received an at-large bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament, marking their first appearance since 2007. They were seeded 9th in the East Region but lost to Memphis in the Second Round.
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GW Hall of Famer Chris Monroe
Chris Monroe, born on January 19, 1981, in Silver Spring, Maryland, is a former basketball player at George Washington University. He was inducted into the GW Hall of Fame in 2012.
Monroe's career at GW started in 1999 when he replaced injured starter Mike King in the lineup. In his first game, he scored 16 points with seven rebounds and an assist against Indiana State. He went on to have a strong freshman year, recording his first collegiate double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds, including four three-pointers at Clemson. He ended the season with three double-doubles.
As a junior in 2001-02, Monroe was GW's top scorer with 21.1 points per game and the second-leading rebounder with 6.1 rebounds per game. He was named to the preseason A-10 All-Conference second team and scored a game-high 34 points against Yale, earning him Atlantic 10 co-Player of the Week honors.
Monroe never missed a game during his GW career. On March 10, 2003, despite suffering from a stomach bug, he took the floor in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship and scored 23 points, passing Joe Holup to become the program's all-time leading scorer. He concluded his career with 2,249 points and 720 free throws (both GW career records), 712 rebounds, 254 assists, 116 steals, and 39 blocks.
After his time at GW, Monroe played professionally in several countries, including Ukraine, Austria, Hungary, France, Greece, Italy, and Iran.
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NBA draftee J.R. Pinnock
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers in Chicago, Illinois, and has since changed its name and location several times.
Now, onto NBA draftee J.R. Pinnock. Pinnock, whose full name is Danilo Pinnock, played basketball at George Washington University. In 2006, he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA Draft and was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Pinnock was the first NBA draftee from his university since 1994. He finished his college career with 1,121 points, ranking 29th on his university's all-time scoring list. He also accumulated 164 steals and 191 assists. After his time in the NBA, Pinnock played in Puerto Rico's professional basketball league, BSN (Baloncesto Superior Nacional), where he won championships in 2010 and 2011 with the Capitanes de Arecibo.
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Coach Maurice Joseph
Maurice Joseph is a former Canadian basketball player and coach. He is currently an assistant coach at Butler University, a role he has held since June 2022.
Joseph was born in Montreal, Canada, on August 26, 1985. He attended Champlain-St. Lambert in his hometown before committing to play basketball at Michigan State University. Over two years, he appeared in 52 games and was part of two NCAA Tournament squads for the Spartans, averaging 3.8 points per game. He then transferred to the University of Vermont, closer to his Montreal home. In his final two seasons with the Catamounts, Joseph averaged 13.9 points per game, helping Vermont reach its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010.
After graduating, Joseph played professional basketball in Israel with Hapoel Afula B.C. He also represented Trinidad and Tobago, the home nation of his parents, playing on its national basketball team in 2010.
Joseph began his coaching career in 2011 when he joined the staff at George Washington University as an assistant director of basketball operations. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2013 and then to head coach in 2016. During his time at George Washington, Joseph coached future NBA players Patricio Garino, Tyler Cavanaugh, and Yuta Watanabe. In 2019, Joseph was fired from George Washington, amassing a 44–57 overall record.
Following his departure from George Washington, Joseph held assistant coaching roles at Fairleigh Dickinson University (2019-2020), George Mason University (2020-2021), and the University of Richmond (2021-present). Joseph has helped his teams achieve notable successes, including the 2022 Atlantic 10 title and a win against Big Ten champion Iowa in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament while at Richmond.
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GW's 11 NCAA Tournament appearances
The George Washington Revolutionaries men's basketball team, formerly known as the George Washington Colonials, has represented George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. The team plays its home games at the Charles E. Smith Center, sharing the space with other George Washington Revolutionaries athletic programs.
The Colonials made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1961, and then again in 1993, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to the Fab Five Michigan team. The team made subsequent appearances in 1994, 1996, and 1998 under coach Mike Jarvis.
In 2004, under coach Karl Hobbs, the Colonials defeated Michigan State and Maryland in back-to-back games to win the 2004 BB&T Classic. They went on to win the Atlantic 10 West title and the Atlantic 10 tournament, earning an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Tournament. As the 12th seed, they lost to the 5th-seed Georgia Tech in the First Round.
The Colonials clinched their first Atlantic 10 Tournament title in 2005 and received a 12th seed in the NCAA Tournament, facing Georgia Tech once more in the first round. In 2007, they won their second Atlantic 10 Tournament championship in school history, earning their third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. In 2014, they drew the Memphis Tigers in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament, held in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Frequently asked questions
The Washington Wizards.
The Washington Bullets.
The 1977-78 season, where they won the NBA championship.
