The Wizards have retired five numbers in franchise history. The organization has been around since 1961 and used to be called the Chicago Packers, Chicago Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets, Capital Bullets and Washington Bullets before ultimately becoming the Washington Wizards in 1997.
For this piece, we take a look at the five prestigious numbers that are retired by the Wizards and the players that donned them. The five jerseys are hanging in the rafters at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
No. 10 Earl Monroe
In five seasons with the franchise, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe averaged 23.7 points and 4.6 assists in 328 games. He played for the organization when they were called the Baltimore Bullets.
The Hall of Famer was a two-time All-Star and the 1968 Rookie of the Year with the organization. He went on to win his lone NBA championship with the New York Knicks in 1973.
No. 11 Elvin Hayes
Elvin Hayes put up 21.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a night in 731 games with the Wizards organization. He was an eight-time All-Star during his run with the franchise and won the 1978 NBA title with the Washington Bullets.
Hayes led the entire '78 playoffs in points with 457. He made the Hall of Fame in 1990.
No. 25 Gus Johnson
“Honeycomb” appeared in 560 games with the Baltimore Bullets. He averaged 17.5 points and 12.9 rebounds over nine seasons with the team and made five All-Star games.
No. 41 Wes Unseld
In 13 seasons with the Wizards franchise, Wes Unseld put up 10.8 points and 14.0 rebounds per contest in 984 games.
The big man was the 1969 Rookie of the Year, the 1969 regular-season MVP, the 1978 Finals MVP and a five-time All-Star. His run with the franchise is the stuff of legends.
Unseld won Finals MVP in '78 with the Bullets after averaging 9.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists against the Seattle SuperSonics.
No. 45 Phil Chenier
Over nine seasons with the organization, Phil Chenier averaged 17.9 points and 1.7 steals in 546 games.
The shooting guard made three All-Star teams as well.
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