On December 1, 1997, the Washington Wizards retired legendary Baltimore Bullet Earl Monroe’s uniform number 10. December 1 also marked the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the opening of Verizon Center; which hosted its first NBA game on December 2, 1997. 

Monroe, who was drafted by the Bullets out of Winston-Salem State University with the second overall pick in the first round of the 1967 NBA Draft, was dubbed ‘Earl the Pearl’ during his playing career. As a Baltimore Bullet, he won NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1968 after averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in his first professional season. 

In four-plus seasons as a Bullet, Monroe averaged 23.7 points per game, and alongside Bullets legends like Wes Unseld, Gus Johnson, Jack Marin and Kevin Loughery, Monroe and the Bullets advanced to the 1970-71 NBA Finals. His then-franchise record of 56 points in a single game (2/13/68 vs. LA Lakers) stood for nearly four decades until Gilbert Arenas edged Monroe with 60 points at Los Angeles on December 17, 2006. In Monroe’s four full seasons in Baltimore (1967-68 through 1970-71), he led the Bullets in points and assists each season. 

Monroe was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1990 and was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. His uniform #10 will join Wes Unseld’s #41, Elvin Hayes’ #11 and Gus Johnson’s #25 among the franchise’s retired numbers. 

On November 20, 1981, the Washington Wizards retired Washington Bullet Elvin Hayes’s uniform number 11. The organization had just traded Hayes to the Houston Rockets for a second-round pick in 1981 and honored him in his first return to the Capital Centre after the deal. Hayes received a prolonged standing ovation from a crowd of 11,253 during the game introduction and again at halftime during the jersey retirement ceremony. Elvin scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds in a Houston victory that night. 

Originally Drafted by the San Diego (Houston) Rockets, Hayes was traded to the Bullets in June 1972. In the 1974 NBA Playoffs, during the franchise's only year called the Capital Bullets, Hayes averaged postseason career-bests of 25.9 points and 15.9 rebounds per game in a Bullets 4–3 first round series loss to the New York Knicks. 

Hayes, along with co-star Wes Unseld, led the Washington Bullets to three NBA Finals appearances (1975, 1978 and 1979), and an NBA title over the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978. On March 3, 1978, Hayes set a career-high of 11 blocks in a single game, while also scoring 22 points and grabbing 27 rebounds, in a 124–108 win over the Detroit Pistons. During the Bullets' championship run that postseason, while aided by the addition of Bob Dandridge, Hayes averaged 21.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in 21 playoff games, as Washington won their only NBA title to date. 

Hayes set an NBA Finals record for most offensive rebounds in a game (11), the following year, in a May 27, 1979, game against the SuperSonics. Elvin was inducted into the NBA in 1990. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and voted to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He remains the all-time leading scorer in Washington Wizards/Bullets history. 

On December 13, 1986, the Washington Bullets retired Gus Johnson’s uniform number 25 on his 48^th birthday. After Johnson was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Unseld, who was working as a team executive at the time, talked to his family members about retiring his jersey. A sellout crowd of 19,441 at Capital Centre saw Johnson’s jersey raised to the rafter during a halftime ceremony. 

Johnson was selected tenth overall in the 1963 NBA draft, taken in the second round by the Chicago Zephyrs, who were moving to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Bullets for the 1963–64 season. Johnson finished as the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year honors. Gus Johnson had his best years with the Bullets from 1968–71, including the watershed basketball year of 1968–69. He was voted onto the All-NBA second team during this time span. During the 1968–69 season, the Bullets achieved their best regular-season record. 

On November 3, 1981, the Washington Bullets retired Wes Unseld’s uniform number 41. Wes was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets with the second overall pick in 1968 out of Louisville, where he finished his senior season as a consensus All-American selection. In his first season in Baltimore in 1968-69, Unseld turned the Bullets around by leading them to 21 more victories than the year prior and the team’s first ever playoff appearance. His 13.8 point, 18.2 rebounds per game averages in his first season earned him Rookie of the Year and MVP Honors, making him just one of two players in league history (along with Wilt Chamberlain) to win both awards in the same season.  

Unseld is the most accomplished player in the history of the franchise – a Hall of Famer, a champion, an MVP and an All-Star. He played his entire 13-year career with the Bullets, totaling 984 games, 35,832 minutes and 13,769 total rebounds, all of which top the franchise record book. Unseld ranks second in franchise history in assists and fifth in points and led the franchise to four NBA Finals appearances and a title in 1977-78. 

Following his retirement in 1981, Unseld immediately moved into a front office role with the Bullets, first serving as vice president of the team from 1981-87. In 1988, Unseld took over as head coach, leading an 8-19 team to a 30-25 finish and trip to the playoffs. Unseld coached until 1994, winning 202 games – the second-most by a coach in franchise history. Unseld returned to a front office position in 1996, serving as General Manager until 2003 (excluding a brief one-year stint as Michael Jordan took over the duties). 

Unseld was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. Along with his retired jersey, the Washington Wizards unveiled the bust of franchise legend and NBA Hall of Famer Wes Unseld near section 111 at Capital One Arena. 

On March 23, 2018, the Washington Wizards retired Phil Chenier’s uniform number 45. Originally drafted out of by the Bullets in the 1971 Hardship Draft out of California, Phil was an All-Star for the Bullets in 1974, 1975 and 1977. Chenier held the franchise records for most points scored in a non-overtime game (53) and ranks among the all-time franchise leaders in field goals made (tied for fourth), points scored (sixth), minutes played (sixth) and games played (ninth). Over his nine seasons and 546 games with the franchise, the smooth shooting guard averaged 17.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting .446 from the field and .807 from the free throw line. Over 60 playoff games, he averaged 18.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting .450 from the field and .845 from the free throw line. 

Chenier averaged at least 20 points per game for five consecutive seasons (1972-77) and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974-75, when he also finished eighth in MVP voting after averaging 21.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals to help lead the team to the NBA Finals. He was originally drafted and retired in 1981 after 10 NBA seasons. 

Following his playing days, Chenier began the first season of his long broadcasting career in 1984-85 by providing color analysis on what was then known as Home Team Sports (now CSN Mid-Atlantic). He was paired with play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz during the 1996-97 season and the duo began a partnership that spanned 20 seasons and countless memorable on-air moments.