Where does Bradley Beal rank among all-time Washington Wizards?
Bradley Beal has made his mark in the Washington Wizards’ history books by becoming the second Wizard to score 15,000 points. He has scored 15,077 points which sits behind Elvin Hayes’ 15,551 career points. Now that Beal has solidified himself as an all-time Wizards great, it’s time we talk about the greatest Wizards/Bullets players of all-time. 17 Hall of Famers have suited up for the franchise from Michael Jordan to Earl Monroe, even Bernard King. Unfortunately, this organization has only won a single championship, back in the 1977-78 season. Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, and Bob Dandridge was the big three that led that team to the ultimate goal. All three of them went on to make it to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Back then, they were called the Washington Bullets before changing their name to the Wizards in the 1997-98 season.
Before we get into the top five, let’s give some recognition to other past Washington greats that don’t quite live up to the legacy left behind by the players at the top.
Greg Ballard
Bullets Stats: eight seasons (643 games total). 13.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. A member of the 1977-78 championship team, Ballard played most of his career with the Bullets. His best season with the club was the 1981-’82 season where he notched averages of 18.8 points, 8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The 6-7, 215-pound small forward was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 1977 Draft.
Phil Chenier
Bullets Stats: nine seasons (546 games total). 17.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Another member of the ‘78 championship team, Chenier was a three-time All-Star, a 1971-72 All-Rookie First Team member, and 1974-’75 All-NBA Second Team member. His best season was his third year in the league when he averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. His scoring average was best for 12th in the league in scoring.
Gus Johnson
Bullets Stats: nine seasons (560 games). 17.5 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Johnson was drafted 11th overall by the Bullets in 1963. He went on to have a Hall of Fame career, becoming a five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA Second Team member, two-time All-Defensive First Team and All-Rookie First Team. His best season with the Bullets came where he averaged 20.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.