1997–98 Washington Wizards season

Off-season

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] 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.

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]

Regular season

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]

Aftermath

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]

Draft picks

More information Round, Pick ...

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	45	God Shammgod	PG	United States	Providence College
2	48	Predrag Drobnjak	C	Montenegro

Close

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 Notes

• Center Gheorghe Mureșan was on the injured reserve list due to a stretched right ankle tendon and foot injury, and missed the entire regular season.

Season standings

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Regular season

Player statistics citation:^[31]