The Washington Wizards got a rare mention in the news cycle this week when Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington were both named to the NBA’s All-Rookie teams.
Sarr was joined on the first team by Zach Edey, Zaccharie Risacher, Jaylen Wells, and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. Carrington was flanked on the second team by Matas Buzelis, Donovan Clingan, Yves Missi, and Kel’el Ware.
Sarr and Carrington were the second pair of rookies in franchise history to be named to the All-Rookie team in the same season, after Gus Johnson and Rod Thorn both received first team nods in the 1964 season (it should be noted that the All-Rookie second team only came into existence during the 1988-89 NBA season, so it likely would have happened a number of other times).
John Wall (2011), Bradley Beal (2013), and Rui Hachimura (2020) were the last three Wizards rookies to receive All-Rookie honors.
Below is a list of every player in franchise history named to the All-Rookie team. Rookie of the Year winners are bolded.
First team:
1963 — Terry Dischinger (Chicago Zephyrs)
1964 — Gus Johnson and Rod Thorn (Baltimore Bullets)
1965 — Wali Jones
1967 — Jack Marin
1968 — Earl Monroe
1969 — Wes Unseld (also won MVP)
1970 — Mike Davis
1972 — Phil Chenier
1974 — Nick Weatherspoon (Capital Bullets)
1977 — Mitch Kupchak (Washington Bullets)
1982 — Jeff Ruland
1984 — Jeff Malone
1993 — Tom Gugliotta
2011 — John Wall
2013 — Bradley Beal
2025 — Alex Sarr
Second team:
1992 — Larry Stewart
1995 — Juwan Howard
1996 — Rasheed Wallace
2001 — Courtney Alexander (Washington Wizards)
2004 — Jarvis Hayes
2020 — Rui Hachimura
2025 — Bub Carrington
In 12 seasons from 1963 to 1974, and with just five players named to the All-Rookie team in each of those seasons, 10 Wizards players earned nods. In the 28 seasons since the team has rebranded as the Wizards, just seven have been named to the All-Rookie teams with twice as many available spots.
More Baltimore Bullets earned All-Rookie selections than Washington Wizards have, and that’s again with twice as many spots available today.
The list of franchise All-Rookie selections paints a picture of a once-proud franchise that slipped into irrelevance. That being said, All-Rookie selections are far from an exact science when it comes to measuring franchise success. Plus a number of recent multi-time All-Stars like DeMar DeRozan, Draymond Green, and Domantas Sabonis missed out on All-Rookie teams before blossoming into All-Stars.
Sarr and Carrington both making it, with Kyshawn George receiving a vote for the second team as well indicates that the franchise’s decision to finally pick a direction is in the early stages of paying dividends. Expect more accolades to start flowing into Washington.