1997–98 Washington Wizards season

1997–98 Washington Wizards season
Head coachBernie Bickerstaff
ArenaUS Airways Arena (5 games)
MCI Center (36 games)
Results
Record42–40 (.512)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Atlantic)
Conference: 9th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionWBDC
Home Team Sports
RadioWTEM

The 1997–98 Washington Wizards season was the 37th season for the Washington Wizards in the National Basketball Association, and their 25th season in Washington, D.C.[1] There was a new beginning for basketball in Washington, D.C. as the team changed its name to the "Wizards", fearing "Bullets" endorsed gun violence.[2][3][4]

The Wizards revealed their new primary logo, replacing their traditional red and blue colors with slated blue, bronze and black to their color scheme of white. The team's primary logo featured a bearded wizard in slated blue with a black letter "W" on its chest, and a bronze star on its slated blue hat, spinning a bronze basketball with its left hand, and pointing towards a bronze star with its right hand; the wizard is leaping in front of a bronze crescent moon with black basketball seams, and above the team name "Wizards" in slated blue letters.[5] The team also revealed new white home uniforms with slated blue side panels on the left side of their jerseys and shorts, and new slated blue road uniforms with black side panels; both uniforms featured a slated blue, bronze and black trim, with bronze and black outlines next to the side panels, and also featured the team's primary logo on the right leg of their shorts.[6][7][8] During the off-season, the team signed free agent Terry Davis to join their frontcourt,[9][10] as the team's starting center, Gheorghe Mureșan missed the entire regular season due to a stretched right ankle tendon, and a right foot injury;[11][12][13] the team also re-signed former Bullets guard Ledell Eackles for the third time after a one-year absence from the NBA.[14]

In their NBA regular season debut as the "Wizards", the team lost to the Detroit Pistons on the road, 92–79 at The Palace of Auburn Hills on October 31, 1997.[15][16] The Wizards got off to a slow 5–11 start to the season, which included a six-game losing streak in November. The team lost their first five home games at US Airways Arena, only winning games on the road such as defeating the Utah Jazz, 90–86 at the Delta Center on November 3,[17][18] and the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, 90–83 at the United Center on November 12.[19][20][21] The Wizards played their final home game at US Airways Arena on November 29, losing to the Bulls by a score of 88–83;[22][23][24] the team then moved from their old arena that was known as the "Capital Centre", into their new arena known as the MCI Center in December.[25] In their first game at the MCI Center, the Wizards won their first home game of the season, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics by a score of 95–78 on December 2.[26][27][28] The team posted a six-game winning streak in December, and later on held a 25–24 record at the All-Star break.[29] The Wizards won their final four games of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 42–40 record, but failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs, finishing just one game behind the 8th–seeded New Jersey Nets.[30]

Chris Webber averaged 21.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, while Juwan Howard averaged 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and Rod Strickland provided the team with 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, sixth man Tracy Murray provided scoring off the bench, averaging 15.1 points per game and leading the Wizards with 158 three-point field goals, while Calbert Cheaney provided with 12.8 points per game, and Eackles contributed 5.2 points per game, but only played just 42 games. Meanwhile, Chris Whitney contributed 5.1 points and 2.4 assists per game, but only shot .355 in field-goal percentage, Davis averaged 4.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and second-year forward Ben Wallace provided with 3.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.[31]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Murray participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[32][33] Despite stellar seasons, neither Webber or Strickland were selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game.[34][35] Strickland finished tied in 18th place in Most Valuable Player voting, and also finished tied in 13th place in Most Improved Player voting, while Murray finished tied in sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.[36] The Wizards finished sixth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 801,240 at the MCI Center during the regular season.[31][37]

Following the season, Webber was traded to the Sacramento Kings after four seasons in Washington,[38][39][40] while Harvey Grant signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers,[41][42] and Mureșan and Eackles were both released to free agency.[43] The team's new primary logo, and new uniforms would both remain in use until 2007, where they switched to a lighter shade of bronze in their logo.

Offseason

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
245God ShammgodPG United StatesProvidence College
248Predrag DrobnjakC Montenegro

The Wizards entered the draft with two second-round selections, including the 48th pick acquired from the Charlotte Hornets in 1994. The team forfeited their first-round draft pick in connection with the signing of Juwan Howard in 1996; Washington would have had the 17th overall pick.[44]

Roster

1997–98 Washington Wizards roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 40 Calbert Cheaney 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1971–07–17 Indiana
F 52 Terry Davis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1967–06–17 Virginia Union
G 21 Ledell Eackles 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1966–11–24 LSU New Orleans
F 44 Harvey Grant 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1965–07–04 Oklahoma
F 31 Darvin Ham 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1973–07–23 Texas Tech
F 5 Juwan Howard 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1973–02–07 Michigan
G 23 Tim Legler Injured 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1966–12–26 La Salle
C 77 Gheorghe Mureșan Injured (IN) 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) 303 lb (137 kg) 1971–02–14 Romania
F 35 Tracy Murray 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1971–07–25 UCLA
G 2 God Shammgod 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 169 lb (77 kg) 1976–04–29 Providence
G 1 Rod Strickland Injured 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1966–07–11 DePaul
F/C 30 Ben Wallace 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1974–09–10 Virginia Union
C 4 Chris Webber 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1973–03–01 Michigan
G 12 Chris Whitney 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 1971–10–05 Clemson
F 43 Lorenzo Williams Injured 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1969–07–15 Stetson
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured Injured

Roster

Roster Notes

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 5527.671–30-1125–1618–6
x-New York Knicks 4339.5241228–1315–2613–11
x-New Jersey Nets 4339.5241226–1517–2412–12
Washington Wizards 4240.5121324–1718–2312–13
Orlando Magic 4141.5001424–1717–2411–13
Boston Celtics 3646.4391924–1712–2912–12
Philadelphia 76ers 3151.3782419–2212–297–17
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Chicago Bulls6220.756–
2 y-Miami Heat5527.6717
3 x-Indiana Pacers5824.7074
4 x-Charlotte Hornets5131.62211
5 x-Atlanta Hawks5032.61012
6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers4735.57315
7 x-New York Knicks4339.52419
8 x-New Jersey Nets4339.52419
9 Washington Wizards4240.51220
10 Orlando Magic4141.50021
11 Detroit Pistons3745.45125
12 Boston Celtics3646.43926
13 Milwaukee Bucks3646.43926
14 Philadelphia 76ers3151.37831
15 Toronto Raptors1666.19546
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot



Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Calbert Cheaney 828234.6.457.283.6474.02.11.2.412.8
Terry Davis 746623.0.496.000.5806.5.4.6.34.4
Ledell Eackles 42013.0.429.348.8811.8.4.4.05.2
Harvey Grant 65813.8.383.167.6332.6.6.4.22.6
Darvin Ham 7138.9.529.4731.8.2.3.42.0
Juwan Howard 646440.0.467.000.7217.03.31.3.418.5
Tim Legler 809.5.158.000.750.5.4.1.01.1
Lawrence Moten 803.4.231.000.750.1.4.0.01.1
Tracy Murray 821227.2.446.392.8713.41.0.8.315.1
Jimmy Oliver 1010.0.500.5002.01.0.0.05.0
God Shammgod 2007.3.328.000.767.41.8.4.13.1
Rod Strickland 767639.7.434.250.7265.310.51.7.317.8
Ben Wallace 671616.8.518.3574.8.3.91.13.1
Chris Webber 717139.6.482.317.5899.53.81.61.721.9
Chris Whitney 82613.1.355.308.9151.42.4.4.15.1
Lorenzo Williams 1467.9.765.0001.9.2.1.21.9

Player statistics citation:[31]

Awards and records

References

  1. ↑ "Washington Wizards". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  2. ↑ Justice, Richard (November 10, 1995). "Bullets Seek New Name". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ Justice, Richard (February 23, 1996). "For Bullets, "Wizards" Casts Magic Spell". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ Adande, J.A. (May 16, 1997). "They're the Wizards of Ahhhhs". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Washington Wizards Primary Logo". Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ Bowles, Scott (July 13, 1997). "Wizards Take a Fashion Shot in the Dark". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Washington Wizards Home Uniform". Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Washington Wizards Road Uniform". Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ Bucher, Ric (November 6, 1997). "Davis's Play Gives Wizards a Charge". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  10. ↑ Bucher, Ric (December 22, 1997). "A Lack of Middle Management". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  11. ↑ Bucher, Ric (October 2, 1997). "Wizards' Muresan Has Injured Ankle". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  12. ↑ Friend, Tom (October 29, 1997). "N.B.A. PREVIEW '97-'98; For Crystal, a Giant of a Man". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ Asher, Mark (February 26, 1998). "Muresan Is a Foot Short". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ Bucher, Ric (November 30, 1997). "Wizards' Farewell Is Not Fond". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  15. ↑ Bucher, Ric (November 1, 1997). "In 1st Test, Wizards Flunk the Boards, 92-79". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons Box Score, October 31, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  17. ↑ Jorgensen, Loren (November 4, 1997). "Jazz Rookie Learns Lesson". Deseret News. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Washington Wizards at Utah Jazz Box Score, November 3, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  19. ↑ "N.B.A.: LAST NIGHT; Chicago Continues to Struggle". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 13, 1997. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  20. ↑ Bucher, Ric (November 13, 1997). "Wizards Topple the Beat-a-Bulls, 90-83". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls Box Score, November 12, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  22. ↑ "N.B.A.: LAST NIGHT; Wizards' Farewell Party Is Ruined by the Bulls". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 30, 1997. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  23. ↑ Bembry, Jerry (November 30, 1997). "Wizards Leave Landover on Downer, Fall to Bulls; Jordan, Chicago Close Arena with 88-83 Win". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards Box Score, November 29, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  25. ↑ Castaneda, Ruben (November 30, 1997). "Wizards Play Final Game on Old Court". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  26. ↑ Bucher, Ric (December 3, 1997). "For Wizards, a Grand Opening, Indeed". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  27. ↑ Bembry, Jerry (December 3, 1997). "Opening Brings Out Best in Wizards; 95-78 Victory Over Sonics Christens MCI Center". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Seattle SuperSonics at Washington Wizards Box Score, December 2, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  29. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  30. ↑ "1997–98 Washington Wizards Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  31. 1 2 3 "1997–98 Washington Wizards Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  32. ↑ "NBA Long-Distance Shootout Roster". Record-Journal. January 21, 1998. p. 20. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  33. ↑ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Popularity, Not Merit, Again Wins More Votes". The Baltimore Sun. February 1, 1998. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  35. ↑ "1998 NBA All-Star Game: East 135, West 114". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  36. ↑ "1997–98 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  37. ↑ "1997–98 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  38. ↑ "N.B.A.; Webber Traded to Sacramento". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 15, 1998. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Webber Dealt to Kings for Richmond, Thorpe". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 15, 1998. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  40. ↑ Bucher, Ric (May 15, 1998). "Webber Traded to Sacramento". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  41. ↑ Wise, Mike (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  42. ↑ Heisler, Mark (February 4, 1999). "Eastern Conference". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  43. ↑ Wyche, Steve (January 28, 1999). "For Muresan, Hornets No, Wizards Maybe". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  44. ↑ Brown, Clifton (August 6, 1996). "Howard: 2 Deals, 2 Teams, $200 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

See also

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.