Washington Wizards

A 1978 banner and a long road back

The franchise has worn many names, from the Chicago Packers to the Baltimore Bullets to the Washington Bullets and finally the Wizards. As the Bullets, Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes won the 1978 title.

The decades since have been mostly thin, marked by flashes like Gilbert Arenas's run of buzzer-beaters and the John Wall and Bradley Beal backcourt that entertained without winning much.

Now the Wizards are deep in a rebuild, stacking young talent and draft picks in search of the next era.

In the 1970s the Bullets reached the Finals four times in a single decade, a golden age the franchise has chased ever since.