The Washington Wizards have a storied NBA history, including many different team names. They have been called the Chicago Packers, Chicago Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets, Capital Bullets, and Washington Bullets before they were named the Washington Wizards in 1997. The team has won one NBA title, as well as four conference titles and seven division titles. The last time they won anything was the division and conference titles in 1979. Yet no matter where they have gone, the Washington Wizards tickets have always sold well and fans have come in their thousands to watch their favorite team. The "Elvin Hayes Era" was the most successful time period for the the team and for Washington Wizards tickets sales. Hayes was acquired in a stunning trade with the Houston Rockets. He was joined by Wes Unseld and Dave Bing in a star studded lineup. This propelled the team from nearly men to championship contenders. It did not matter where they were, Chicago, Baltimore, or Washington, this was a period of time when they were one of the elite NBA teams. The next ten years, from 1971- 1981, brought every title (barring one division title) that the team has won in its history. The success culminated in a well won NBA championship in 1978. While fans would keep coming for more Washington Wizards tickets and continued to support the team, success on the court was not as forthcoming. Poor trades and draft picks have been a story of the Wizards over the past 30 years. Their only claim to fame during this period was the two years that Michael Jordon spent with them from 2001-2003. While Jordan helped sell Washington Wizards tickets in high quantities, it was evident that he was not the player from his Bulls days any longer. They finished with 37-45 records in both seasons, despite Jordan playing every game in the 2002-2003 season. He only managed to average 20 points a game, not good enough to propel the team into playoff contenders.
The Wizards have played in front of crowds in five different arenas during this history. The International Amphitheatre, Chicago Coliseum, Baltimore Civic Center, and US Airways Arena have all seen great Washington Wizards tickets sales before the move to the Verizon Center in 1997. The stadium was initially named the MCI Arena, before Verizon took over the stadium naming rights in 2007. The center can hold 20,282 fans for home games. Most games result in Washington Wizards tickets being sold out. Fans of the team have had a tough ride, especially with the team moving locations so many times in their early years. However, a permanent stay in Washington for the past 30 years has seen a loyal fan base come to light. Fans are hugely passionate, especially as D.C. does not have too many major sports teams to its name. This showed in the amount of Washington Wizards tickets that were sold during 2008- 2010 despite some of the worst performances basketball fans could bare to see. The Wizards won only 19 and 26 games in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 respectively, finishing with huge losing seasons. There wasn't much improvement in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 when the Wizards have not finished any higher than 4th in their division. However, they will be hoping for an improvement under new coach Randy Wittman in 2012-2013. The loyal fans have kept buying Washington Wizards tickets, but patience is running thin. While they know a playoff berth is far away, a winning season is the least that fans expect after a terrible 5 year spell for the franchise.
11-26-12 : The Wizards are the NBA’s only winless team. Coming close in their last game, an overtime loss to the Bobcats wasn’t good enough. The recent return of power forward Nene clearly hasn’t changed much. The Wizards are still without John Wall and still will be when they are home for the Blazers followed by a trip to New York to face the Knicks. This young team will continue to play hard for the time being but will also continue to struggle as the season goes along.