At 7 ft 6¾ in, Manute Bol was among the best shot-blockers in the history of the sport, but he was extremely slender, limiting his offensive capability. As a rookie with the Washington Bullets (1985-86) he set a franchise record with 397 blocks.
In his first season with the Wizards (2018-19), Thomas Bryant set a single-season franchise record with a .616 field goal percentage.
In 1973, K. C. Jones became head coach of the Capital Bullets (which became the Washington Bullets one year later). He coached the team for three seasons, leading them to the NBA Finals in 1975 and finishing his tenure with a franchise-best .630 winning percentage (155-91).
On December 17, 2006, Gilbert Arenas dropped a franchise-record 62 points in a 147-141 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Known as the king of "shake and bake", Earl Monroe's smooth moves and flamboyant style landed him in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and earned him the iconic nickname "Black Jesus." In Spike Lee's film He Got Game, convicted felon Jake Shuttlesworth explains to his son, star basketball prospect Jesus Shuttlesworth, how he got his name: "When he was in the streets of Philly, the playgrounds, you know what they called him? Jesus. That's what they called him -- Jesus. 'Cause he was the truth. Then the white media got ahold of it. Then they got to call him Black Jesus. He can't just be Jesus? He got to be Black Jesus. You know, but still ... he was the truth. So that's the real reason why you got your name. Not Jesus of the Bible, Jesus of North Philadelphia. Jesus of the playgrounds. That's the truth, son."
According to teammate Earl Monroe, "Gus was ahead of his time, flying through the air for slam dunks, breaking backboards and throwing full-court passes behind his back. He was spectacular, but he also did the nitty gritty jobs, defense and rebounding."
Point guard John Wall was chosen with the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft by the Wizards after playing one year of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. In his rookie season, he led the Wizards in points (1,131), assists (574), and steals (121).
Elvin Hayes twice led the NBA in rebounds, including 1974 when he set a franchise record with 1,109 defensive rebounds.
Tim Legler's best NBA season was 1995-1996, when he ranked first in the league in both 3-point field goal percentage (.522) and true shooting percentage (.688), and won the 1996 Three-Point Shootout during All-Star Weekend.
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