The NBA A History of Hoops The Story of the washington wizards Jim Whiting C R E AT I V E D I G I TA L CREATIVE DIGITAL The NBA A History of Hoops The Story of the Jim Whiting washington wizards
T a b l e o f Co n t e n t s CASTING THE BULLETS 8 THE SPARK AND THE BACKBONE 16 WINNING IN WASHINGTON 22 BRUISE BROTHERS BOL AND BOGUES 28 WELCOMING THE WIZARDS 36 INDEX 48 CO U R T S I D E S TO R I E S BULLETS VERSUS KNICKS 11 SINGING A CHAMPIONSHIP TUNE 21 WASHINGTON’S GIANTS 24 A KING-SIZED COMEBACK 26 ENDING THE DROUGHT 30 A HISTORY OF NAMES 44 INTRODUCING WALT BELLAMY 12 EARL MONROE 15 WES UNSELD 18 ELVIN HAYES 27 JEFF MALONE 35 ANTAWN JAMISON 41
CASTING THE BULLETS THE U S CAPITOL’S DESIGN WAS INSPIRED BY GREEK AND ROMAN ARCHITECTURE 8 CASTING THE BULLETS
EARL MONROE After winning independence from Great Britain in 1783 the new United States couldn’t agree on where the national capital should be located Southern states wanted it in their territory but the North refused and demanded that the capital be situated in one of its states Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton worked out a compromise in 1790 The new federal government would assume the Revolutionary War debts of the states the bulk of which were in the North In return Maryland and Virginia would each donate land along the Potomac River to build the capital This arrangement had considerable opposition from both sides and passed Congress by the narrowest of margins creating the District of Columbia The new city within its borders was named Washington to honor the nation’s first president Eventually Virginia would reclaim 9
