The Washington Wizards All-Time GOAT Pyramid

Since 1961, the Washington Wizards/Bullets have been a mainstay in the National Basketball Association. In those 63 seasons, the team has made 30 playoff appearances and won one NBA championship in 1978 with an overall winning percentage of 44.9%. Along the way, some of the greatest players in NBA history have worn a Wizards or Bullets uniform to earn them their place in NBA history. 

Much like we have in the past, we are going to place 25 of the greatest players in this franchise’s history into tiers based on their time solely with the Wizards/Bullets franchise. If there is any confusion about these parameters, you can check out every team we have covered on this list below:

- The Los Angeles Lakers All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Chicago Bulls All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Golden State Warriors All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Boston Celtics All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Detroit Pistons All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Miami Heat All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Houston Rockets All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Brooklyn Nets All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The New York Knicks All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Milwaukee Bucks All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Denver Nuggets All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Orlando Magic All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Indiana Pacers All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Oklahoma City Thunder All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Minnesota Timberwolves All-Time GOAT Pyramid

Now that rules have been laid out and examples have been given, let’s look at the NBA legends that make up the Washington Wizards' all-time GOAT pyramid.

Tier 1

Wes Unseld

Wes Unseld kicks things off as the Wizards’ franchise GOAT. Unseld spent his 13-year career with the Baltimore/Washington Bullets from 1969 through 1981. As a rookie in 1969, Unseld became the first, and only, MVP in the history of the franchise, averaging 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game. Unseld would go on to earn five All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection as well. In 1978, Unseld led the Bullets to their only NBA championship over the SuperSonics and earned Finals MVP honors in the process.

There has simply never been a more decorated or accomplished player in the history of the Washington Wizards.

Tier 2

Elvin Hayes, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Gus Johnson

Tier 2 also features four NBA legends who helped shape the Wizards franchise into what it is today. Elvin Hayes shared the court with Unseld for nine seasons from 1973 through 1981. In those nine years, Hayes averaged 21.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. He would be an All-Star all nine seasons he spent with the team as well as six All-NBA Team selections. Hayes was also an integral part of their 1978 championship run, averaging 20.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in the series win over Seattle.

John Wall is a former No. 1 overall pick of the Wizards back in 2010. Wall would spend the first nine seasons of his career with Washington where he became a five-time All-Star, one-time All-NBA Team selection, and one-time All-Defensive Team selection. Wall ranks first in team history in both steals and assists as well as fourth in scoring. From 2010-2018, Wall averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

Bradley Beal is another modern-day Wizards legend who spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the franchise before waiving his no-trade clause this past summer to join the Suns. Beal is one of two players in team history to total over 15,000 points in their uniform while also earning three All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection as well. In his 11 seasons, Beal averaged 22.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Rounding out Tier 2 is nine-year Baltimore Bullets legend Gus Johnson. From 1964 through 1972, Johnson played 560 games with the team, averaging 17.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. In many ways, Johnson is even more decorated than the players ahead of him on this list with five All-Star selections, four All-NBA Team selections, and two All-Defensive team selections during his time with the team.

Tier 3

Earl Monroe, Gilbert Arenas, Walt Bellamy, Phil Chenier, Chris Webber, Michael Jordan, Bob Dandridge

Tier 3 is another level of this pyramid loaded with star talent. Kicking things off is none other than Earl “The Pearl” Monroe who played four and a half seasons with the team from 1968 through 1972. In Monroe’s short time with the Bullets, he averaged 23.7 points per game on 44.5% shooting. He would earn two All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection. Monroe would also be named the 1968 Rookie of the Year averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Gilbert Arenas’ electric personality is a direct correlation to how much fun he was to watch on the court with the Wizards from 2004 through 2011. Arenas enjoyed a three-year peak from 2005 through 2007 in which he made three straight All-Star and All-NBA Team selections. In total, he averaged 25.0 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with the Wizards before being run out of town after receiving a historic suspension for bringing loaded firearms into the team’s practice facility.

Walt Bellamy’s time with the Bullets was short during the 1960s after they made him their No. 1 overall pick in 1961. Bellamy played five seasons with the team from 1962 through 1966 averaging 27.6 points and 16.6 rebounds per game. Bellamy would be a four-time All-Star and the 1962 Rookie of the Year with the franchise helping them earn one trip to the playoffs in 1965.

Of the 10 seasons he spent in the NBA, Phil Chenier would spend eight and a half of them with the Baltimore Bullets. Chenier was a three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA Team selection at shooting guard for the franchise, averaging 17.9 points and 1.7 steals per game. Chenier helped the Bullets capture their only NBA title in 1978 but missed the entire playoff run with an injury. Chenier is also the youngest player in franchise history to record a 50-point game and ranks eighth in team history with 9,778 points.

Chris Webber is another player whose time was short in Washington but he made the most of it. In four seasons with the team from 1995 through 1998, he averaged 20.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.1% from the field. He earned one All-Star appearance during this time as well before being dealt to the Kings in 1998.

Michael Jordan's time in a Wizards uniform is often seen as a disappointment because he failed to lead the team to the playoffs. Despite that being true, it was far from a failure as Jordan, battling injuries and age, averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in two seasons. He was also a two-time All-Star during this run at 38 and 39 years old.

The final member of Tier 3 is also a Milwaukee Bucks legend. Bob Dandridge was a member of the Washington Bullets from 1978 through 1982 where he averaged 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on 47.4% shooting. Dandridge helped the Bullets capture their 1978 NBA title with 20.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in the Finals against Seattle. He finished his Bullets career with one All-Star appearance and one All-NBA Second Team selection as well.

Tier 4

Bernard King, Antawn Jamison, Jack Marin, Jeff Malone, Caron Butler

Tier 4 is once again filled with multiple NBA legends at different phases of their careers with the Washington Wizards franchise. A good example of this is Bernard King who spent four years with the Bullets toward the end of his career from 1988 through 1991. In these four seasons, King averaged 22.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game on 48.3% shooting. He was an All-Star in 1991 and an All-NBA Third Team selection the same season.

The best stretch of Antawn Jamison's career undoubtedly came with the Washington Wizards from 2005 through 2010. In those five-plus seasons, Jamison was a two-time All-Star who averaged 20.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. During this stretch, Jamison would have five 1,000-point scoring seasons and three seasons with over 1,500 points as well.

The first six seasons of Jack Marin's career would come as a member of the Baltimore Bullets from 1967 through 1972. During this time, he averaged 16.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for the team and made four different trips to the NBA playoffs. Marin would be an All-Star in his final season with the team in 1972, averaging 22.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

In 1983, the Washington Bullets made shooting guard Jeff Malone their 10th overall pick. Over the next seven seasons, Malone would earn two All-Star selections and average 20.2 points per game on 47.7% shooting from the field. During his back-to-back All-Star appearances in 1986 and 1987, Malone averaged 22.2 points per game on 47.0% shooting and he ranks third in team history with 11,083 points.

The final member of Tier 4 is a sleeper pick at this stage. Caron Butler spent just four and a half seasons with the Wizards from 2006 through 2010 before being traded to Dallas. During this time, Butler was a back-to-back All-Star in 2007 and 2008 averaging 19.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. In his entire Wizards career, Butler averaged 19.0 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 45.3% from the floor.

Tier 5

Rod Strickland, Richard Hamilton, Jerry Stackhouse, Juwan Howard, Larry Hughes, Manute Bol, Jeff Ruland, Gheorghe Muresan

The bottom of the Wizards’ all-time GOAT pyramid may be the lesser-celebrated players in franchise history but all of them rank in the top 25 for their contributions to the franchise. Rod Strickland was known for having some of the best handles in NBA history and he took those talents to Washington for four and a half seasons from 1997 through 2001. During this time, he averaged 15.5 points, 8.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 43.9% from the floor.

Richard Hamilton got his start with the Wizards in 1999-00 after they made him their seventh overall pick in the NBA Draft. Hamilton would spend the next three seasons in Washington, averaging 15.6 points per game on 43.3% shooting. Armed with one of the best mid-range jumpers ever, Hamilton would go on to become a Pistons legend and an NBA champion in 2004.

Jerry Stackhouse’s very bitter feud with Michael Jordan led to his time with the Wizards being limited to just two seasons in 2003 and 2004. During those two seasons, Stackhouse was very productive, averaging 19.5 points and 4.4 assists per game on 40.7% shooting. While it wasn't the prettiest tenure, Stackhouse still made enough of an impact to be mentioned in Tier 5.

Armed with one of the worst contracts in NBA history, Juwan Howard spent the first seven seasons of his career as a member of the Bullets and Wizards from 1995 through 2001. During this time, Howard would become an All-Star one time in 1996 and averaged 18.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in 464 games played.

Larry Hughes spent just three seasons with the Wizards during the early 2000s from 2003 through 2005. Although he was never an All-Star, Hughes averaged 17.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on 42.8% shooting with the team during those years, leading them to the playoffs in 2005.

Manute Bol is one of the great shot-blockers in NBA history. As a rookie with Washington, Bol led the NBA with 5.0 blocks per game while adding just 3.7 points and 6.0 rebounds as well. He was All-Defensive Second Team as a rookie as well. Despite playing just three seasons with the team, Bol ranks third in franchise history in blocks with 908.

Jeff Ruland was a two-time All-Star who spent five seasons with Washington from 1982 through 1986. During his time with the team, Ruland averaged 18.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game on 56.4% shooting. In his 1984 and 1985 All-Star campaigns, Ruland averaged 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game and reached the playoffs four out of five years spent in Washington.

The final player on the Wizards' all-time GOAT pyramid is another defensive beast, Gheorghe Muresan. In four seasons with Washington, Muresan averaged 10.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. In 1996, Muresan was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player with 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, all career highs for the 7’7’’ monster out of Romania.