The Washington Wizards began their NBA career as the Chicago Packers in 1961. They spent several seasons in Baltimore and finally landed in Washington, D.C. as the Washington Bullets in 1974. After achieving only moderate success for a decade, the Bullets developed into a solid team during the 1970s, built around rugged center Wes Unseld and talented scorer and rebounder Elvin Hayes. The Wizards made it to the NBA Finals four times during the 1970s and defeated the Seattle SuperSonics for the NBA championship in 1977-78. The Bullets were a model of consistency through the '80s, establishing an NBA record by winning at least 35 games in each of 22 consecutive years, from 1967-68 through 1988-89. A seven-year postseason drought ended in 1996-97 when the Bullets advanced to the playoffs, losing a hard-fought series to the Chicago Bulls. The final game of that series, a 96-95 loss on April 30, 1997, marked the end of an era.

On May 15, the team officially became known as the Washinton Wizards, a decision made by owner Abe Pollin in conjunction with the team's anti-violence campaign. At the same time, the team prepared for a move from suburban Landover, Maryland, to the then MCI Center in downtown Washington (now called the Verizon Center). At the beginning of the 1960s the NBA was an eight-team league coping with growing pains. The Boston Celtics were launching their dynasty, the Lakers had just moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, and stars such as Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Bill Russell were bringing a higher profile to the pro game. NBA owners decided to initiate the first expansion since the league's inception in 1949, and after paying an entry fee of $500,000 the Packers were admitted in 1961.

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