13 Best Players In Washington Wizards Franchise History

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• The NBA's Washington Wizards have been through several rebrandings. The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers. Then they were the Chicago Zephyrs, then they became the Baltimore Bullets, then the Capital Bullets, then the Washington Bullets, and finally the Washington Wizards.

The Washington Wizards (former Bullets) have been a fixture in the NBA for decades. There has been a varied list of fascinating talents to spend time playing basketball for Washington. Only the best Wizards of all time will be discussed, those who stand out as the best of the best.

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NBA fans have seen various chapters of success from Washington basketball teams over the years. Certain names have all-time great stats and accomplishments, but others won over the fan base. The plethora of names will see different arguments for their greatness. However, all deserve the chance to be considered the greatest Wizards of all time.

UPDATE: 2023/10/17 18:00 EST BY LIZZY FLANAGAN

The NBA's Washington Wizards have been through several rebrandings. The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers. Then they were the Chicago Zephyrs, then they became the Baltimore Bullets, then the Capital Bullets, then the Washington Bullets, and finally the Washington Wizards.

The franchise's heyday came in the 1970s when they won several conference titles and an NBA Championship in 1978. Unfortunately, they've struggled to get back to the top of the mountain ever since.

Still, the Wizards have had several extraordinary players on their roster over the years. Here are some of the very best.

13 Michael Jordan

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The Washington Wizards stint of Michael Jordan was viewed as a disappointment since they didn’t win, but he could still deliver on the court. Jordan decided to come out of retirement after he was in an executive position putting together the team.

Washington, unfortunately, didn’t win to make the postseason, but Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. The two seasons saw the Wizards getting huge attention and Jordan making both All-Star teams.

12 Antawn Jamison

For almost half a decade, Antawn Jamison served as the glue keeping the Washington Wizards together. He was incredibly dependable, playing over 70 games a season during his tenure in Washington. Not only was he consistent, but he was a strong scorer as well; Jamison averaged 20.7 points during his time as a Wizard. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2009-2010 season. Though things started to fall apart toward the end of his career in Washington, his value to the team cannot be understated.

11 Jeff Malone

Jeff Malone was an exceptional scorer from mid to close range; he averaged 87% from the free-throw line, a stat that more than made up for his lackluster 3-point shooting ability. Malone played seven seasons with the Washington Bullets, during which he averaged at least 20 points per game. Malone's scoring ability made him a two-time consecutive NBA All-Star and has earned him a spot on the list of best Wizards of all time.

10 Walt Bellamy

Walt Bellamy was the first-ever draft pick in Wizards' franchise history. He was selected first overall in 1961 to the team that was then called the Chicago Packers. Bellamy immediately lived up to his team's hopes; in his rookie year, he averaged 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds, a truly ridiculous stat for a rookie. Unsurprisingly, Bellamy was awarded Rookie of the Year that season.

Bellamy went on to become a four-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

9 Chris Webber

Another Washington Wizards player to spend a short time with the team was Chris Webber. The four seasons in Washington saw Webber unable to find an NBA home, but he did put up strong numbers. Webber averaged 20.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists with the franchise.

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There was only one All-Star appearance for Webber with the Wizards since the team wasn’t winning much. Webber felt unhappy and ended up getting moved to the Sacramento Kings where he thrived most. However, he deserves some respect for his strong tenure in Washington.

8 Bernard King

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Bernard King is a legendary Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who bounced throughout a few teams in his NBA career. The Washington Bullets received the most games from King in four seasons with the team after his peak seasons with the New York Knicks.

One of the four total All-Star appearances for King in the NBA came representing the Bullets. King put up strong numbers of 22 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game to become an all-time great in Washington’s entire professional basketball history.

7 Earl Monroe

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Earl “The Pearl” Monroe was more than a cool nickname looking back at his career. The Baltimore chapter of the Wizards/Bullets history saw Monroe starting his career there, even though many fans tie him to the New York Knicks chapter.

Monroe made his sole All-NBA selection and received one of his four All-Star appearances as part of the Bullets. The stats stand out most with Monroe averaging 23.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds during the five seasons there in his Hall of Fame career.

6 Gus Johnson

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The Baltimore Bullets saw Gus Johnson becoming the top player for many years breaking out for the franchise. Johnson spent nine seasons with the team averaging an outstanding 17.5 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

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Five All-Star appearances and four All-NBA selections proved that Johnson was among the better players at his position for quite some time. Old-school fans may argue for him being ranked higher, but Johnson deserves the respect either way.

5 Bradley Beal

Bradley Beal is a hard Washington Wizards choice to compare to other historic players since he is still in his prime. The career of Beal is still going, but he’s spent all eleven seasons in the NBA so far with one franchise after recently signing a max contract extension.

A total of three All-Star appearances and one All-NBA selection sees Beal as one of the better shooting guards in the league. The current stats have Beal averaging 22.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds as of this writing all for the Wizards franchise.

4 Gilbert Arenas

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No one expected the Washington Wizards to become a credible East team when Gilbert Arenas joined. Arenas showed talent on the Golden State Warriors, but he became a premier player in the league for most of his Wizards stint.

An incredible average of 25 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds proved that Arenas was good enough to be the top talent on a team. Arenas made all three All-Star appearances and received all three All-NBA appearances for Washington. Unfortunately, things ended ugly with the infamous gun threats involving him and Javaris Crittenton.

3 John Wall

Washington Wizards fans have a mixed reaction to John Wall getting traded after injuries since he was once the face of the franchise. Wall was proud to be a first overall draft for Washington with all five All-Star appearances and his sole All-NBA selection coming with the franchise.

There were a few seasons of the Wizards having deep playoff runs before falling short. Wall deserves the credit for leading them that far with his averages of 19 points, 9.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds during his nine seasons in Washington.

2 Elvin Hayes

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Elvin Hayes witnessed multiple changes in the franchise’s name and location when playing for the Washington Wizards earlier in their history. Nine seasons saw Hayes putting up 21.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game as a double-double machine.

Hayes made the All-Star team eight out of nine seasons and received all six of his All-NBA selections for the Wizards. The sole NBA Championship in the franchise’s history came in 1978 with Hayes having a huge role in that accomplishment.

1 Wes Unseld

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There is no debating Wes Unseld’s spot as the greatest player in Washington Wizards unless someone new passes him in our lifetime. Unseld was the best player for the 1978 NBA Championship team and rightfully won the Finals MVP that year.

Later seasons saw Wes’ stats declining, but he finished with an average of 10.8 points and 14 rebounds per game during his entire career for the Wizards. Unseld won the 1969 MVP Award and made five All-Star appearances as the most beloved and decorated player in franchise history.