Washington Wizards Milestones

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Order these Washington Wizards franchise moments by the year they happened. Drag or tap it onto the line

Washington Wizards

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How to play the Washington Wizards history timeline

Each card is a moment from the Wizards franchise, including its years under earlier names, with a description printed below the headline. You're putting them in order by the year they happened. One card is already on the line with its year shown. Place each new card in a gap; you'll get its year if you're right, and you'll lose one of your three lives if you're wrong, though the card still moves to its real spot.

Names and cities change a lot in this deck, so watch what the team is called in each headline and description. The franchise's best stretch came under an older name, with several Finals trips that are easy to confuse. Other cards cover a famous former player's time in the front office and the backcourts that followed. Long playoff droughts mean the trade and draft cards carry much of the weight.

Want a longer game? On the deck tree you can tick this deck alongside any other one measured in release years and dates, and they shuffle into a single timeline together.

What's in the deck

Here are 26 of the 26 cards you might be dealt. Their values stay hidden until you place them.

Founded as the Chicago Packers The NBA added an expansion team in Chicago, the franchise's original identity.
Renamed the Chicago Zephyrs After one season the Chicago club changed its nickname.
Moved to Baltimore as the Bullets The franchise relocated to Maryland and took the Bullets name.
Drafted Wes Unseld Baltimore took the Louisville center who won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.
Wes Unseld won MVP as a rookie The rugged rebounder became just the second player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP together.
Reached the NBA Finals The Baltimore Bullets were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in their first Finals appearance.
Moved to the Washington area The franchise became the Capital Bullets, relocating to the D.C. suburbs.
Renamed the Washington Bullets The team dropped Capital for Washington in its nickname.
Reached the Finals under K.C. Jones Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld led Washington to the Finals, where they were swept by Golden State.
Won the NBA championship The Bullets rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Seattle, with Wes Unseld named Finals MVP.
Lost the Finals rematch to Seattle Washington returned to the Finals but fell to the SuperSonics.
Drafted Jeff Ruland era and rebuild Washington leaned on Ruland and Rick Mahorn's bruising 'Beef Brothers' frontcourt.
Drafted Manute Bol The Bullets selected the 7-foot-7 shot-blocking sensation.
Retired Wes Unseld's No. 41 Washington honored its championship center with a jersey retirement.
Drafted Chris Webber via trade Washington acquired the star forward to headline a new era.
Renamed the Wizards and opened the MCI Center Abe Pollin dropped the Bullets name over gun-violence concerns as the team moved into a new downtown arena.
Michael Jordan joined as part-owner and executive MJ took a stake and became president of basketball operations in Washington.
Jordan drafted Kwame Brown then un-retired to play Washington made the high schooler the No. 1 pick, and that fall Jordan came out of retirement to suit up at age 38.
Drafted Gilbert Arenas era begins Agent Zero signed and became the franchise's electrifying scorer.
Ended a long playoff drought Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler led Washington back to the postseason.
Drafted John Wall first overall Washington won the lottery and took the Kentucky point guard.
Drafted Bradley Beal Washington paired John Wall with the Florida shooting guard.
Won a playoff series behind Wall and Beal The young backcourt led Washington past Chicago in the first round.
John Wall hit the buzzer-beater over Boston Wall's Game 6 three forced a Game 7 in a hard-fought second-round series.
Traded Russell Westbrook for a fresh start Washington dealt for and then flipped the former MVP as the franchise pivoted around Beal.
Traded Bradley Beal to Phoenix Washington moved its franchise-record scorer west and began a full rebuild.