The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, DC. The Washington Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Southeastern Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Capital One Arena in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers based in Chicago, Illinois, and were renamed the Chicago Zephyrs the following season. In 1963, they moved to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking their name from an earlier team of the same name. In 1973, the team changed their name to the Capital Bullets to reflect their move to the Washington metropolitan area, and then to the Washington Bullets the following season. In 1997, they were renamed the Washington Wizards.

The Washington Wizards appeared in four NBA Finals and won in 1978. They had a total of 28 playoff appearances, won four conference titles (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979) and seven division titles (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 2017). Their best season came in 1975 with a 60-22 record. Wes Unseld is the only player in franchise history to become the MVP (1969) and win the Finals MVP award (1978). Four players (Walt Bellamy, Terry Dischinger, Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld) have won the Rookie of the Year award.