The Washington Wizards play in the Southeast Division of the NBA's Eastern Conference.

The franchise began play in 1961 as the Chicago Packers. The name changed to the Zephyrs the following year. After a few more moves and name changes, the Bullets moved to Landover, Maryland and became known as the Washington Bullets.

Team owner Abe Pollin announced in 1995 that the team would change its name due to the violent overtones associated with the nickname Bullets. The name of Wizards was decided on among other choices, and the team officially changed names on May 15, 1997. The team got a new logo and the team colors were changed from red, white, and blue to blue, black, and gold.

After Michael Jordan retired from the Bulls, he became president of the Wizards. He would come out of retirement in 2001 to play basketball for the Wizards for two seasons. Jordan thought he would return to his normal duties after playing, but he was fired by Wizards owner Abe Pollin instead. Jordan felt that he had been betrayed due to the firing.

With the re-signing of Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, the Wizards thought they were heading in a good direction and they were expected to be serious contenders in the Eastern Conference for the 2008-2009 season. In fact, Gilbert Arenas went so far as to promise owner Abe Pollin that the team would deliver a championship banner to the organization. However, disappointment set in early and often for this team during the 2009 season. Gilbert Arenas would have surgery to repair cartilage in his knee and Brendan Haywood would go down with a wrist injury in training camp and would miss the first five months of the season. The team would start the season at 1-10 and would never recover. Arenas would return to the lineup until the final 10 games of the year and the Wizards would finish a woeful 19-63 leading to the firing of head coach Eddie Jordan who had been with the Wizards for five seasons. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/157266-wizards-season-review-2008-2009

• Abe Pollin:
  • Owner and Chairman
  • 1974-1999: Owner, NHL's Washington Capitals

• Ted Leonsis:
  • Partial Owner
  • Owner: Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics

• Ernie Grunfeld
  • President of Basketball Operations
  • 1989-1999: General Manager, New York Knicks

• Eddie Jordan:
  • Head Coach
  • NBA Guard, 1977-1984