Our series on the four jerseys fans of every NBA team continues today. It’s Southeast Division week, and today we’re focusing on the Washington Wizards. Remember, we’re not just going to list off four popular players in team history. We know that when you’re wearing a jersey, you’re going for a “look.” So every day we’re going to tell you the jersey you’ve got to have, the jersey you can’t go wrong with (in case you can’t find the first one), the jersey that will make people say “Oh, that’s awesome,” and the joke jersey that will have everyone laughing.
Washington’s history in the NBA hasn’t exactly been great. In 50 seasons, the team has .450 winning percentage. The franchise’s best days came in the 70’s, which makes things a little tough for today’s Washington fan. With only one banner, which is more than 30 years old, to hang from the rafters, it’s a bit tough to celebrate the team’s past. It’s also a past that has inlcuded a bit of ugliness. But some amazing players have worn the team colors. And there’s plenty of promise to hold on to as fans hope the turnaround they’ve been longing for is around the corner.
With that, we turned things over to Bloguin’s own Wizards blog, Wizards Extreme (follow them on Twitter, won’t you?), to properly capture the sentiments of Wizards nations, in the form of four jerseys each fan’s gotta have.
Gotta Have:
Wes Unseld — Everyone has to remember this guy because he was the face of this franchise for many years. He was one of the reasons why the Bullets/Wizards have the one and only championship as they defeated the Supersonics of Seattle in 1978. Wes was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. He spent his entire career with the Baltimore/Washington Bullets. A rarity of a player to spend their whole career with one team in any sport, but Wes pulled it off. He wasn’t as good in the front office as he was on the court but I wouldn’t tarnish his career because of it. He was arguably the best player along with the likes of Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe, Kevin Grevey, and Elvin Hayes. How can you not get the original #41 Bullets jersey (that most people love) with Unseld’s name on the back of it? The NBA Finals MVP for the Bullets in 78, along with his history here, he’s a local legend.
Can’t go wrong with:
John Wall – It’s the only jersey right now you can wear off this current Wizards roster. I mean in all honestly, no one will want to wear an Andray Blatche or Nick Young jersey. John is the new face of the franchise and he has the potential to be a top 10 NBA player in the near future. He could possibly be an all star by next year (if there is a season). Wizards got the #1 pick and it was the turn around that they needed. I mean it beats wearing a Yi jersey (by the way, he’s not on the roster anymore) You could wear the new Jan Vesely jersey but they’ll only be one person wearing that jersey, his girlfriend. New jersey’s, new colors, new player… so grab a #2. It’s a win-win!
“Oh, That’s Cool”:
Elvin Hayes – He’s one cool and smooth brother. He had some of the most amazing stats I’ve heard in my life. As a rookie he had 28.4 points per game and 17.1 rebounds per game! Wait? What? Yeah that wasn’t a typo! He led the NBA in scoring as a rookie, folks. Plus he lead the team to its only championship. That’s a smooth brother right there. You can’t put cool without saying Elvin Hayes in a sentence in Washington. By far one of the most underrated superstars to come out of Washington. Get a #11
“Oh, That’s Funny”:
Gheorge Muresan – Big Gheorge (that’s what she said)… what can I say that hasn’t been said about the big guy? The man had his own cologne (kinda), his own commercial, and starred in a movie with Billy Crystal! He was larger than life. He had more success then B rated movie stars.
No more talking (or typing in this case) let the YouTube speak for itself!
There you have it. The four jerseys Wizards fans have got to have. Disagree with us? Let us know who we missed in the comments.
Previous jerseys:
Atlantic Division: Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto
Central Division: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee
Southeast Division: Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Miami
Next Week: The Pacific Division
Jeff Garcia collaborated on this post
