Big Three to be in attendance for throwback night on November 18th
Washington, D.C. – The Washington Wizards will reunite the “Big Three” of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison to celebrate “Throwback Night” in recognition of the team’s 25th anniversary since rebranding to the Wizards. The game will take place on Friday, November 18, when the Miami Heat come to Capital One Arena. Tipoff will be at 7:00 p.m.
As part of “Throwback Night,” the team will recognize Arenas, Butler and Jamison in a halftime celebration for their contributions to the franchise. The trio played together from 2005-06 to 2009-10 and led Washington to three consecutive playoff appearances (2006-2008).
“Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Wizards brand wouldn’t be complete without honoring the contributions of ‘The Big Three’ and having them all together on the same night makes it even more special,” said Wizards President & General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “Gilbert, Caron and Antawn represent a definitive era for the franchise and they deserve to be recognized for the excitement they generated on the court and the impact they had in our community, both of which led to a new generation of Wizards fans.”
The trio recently recorded an interview with Wizards legend and former broadcaster Phil Chenier, which will be featured during pre and postgame coverage of Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers on NBC Sports Washington (the pregame show will begin at 7:00 with the game set to tip off at 7:30).
The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a hat designed by Antawn Jamison presented by FTX. A behind-the-scenes video of Jamison designing his throwback hat will be played during the game.
Throughout the game, throwback music will be played, all arena signage will be themed in the team’s “classic” style and DJ Kool’s custom Wizards intro-video will be played. Fans will also be treated to a “Get To Know Your Wizards” video with a short feature on Jamison.
Following the game, those in attendance can enjoy a postgame concert with R&B artist and producer Teddy Riley. He will be joined by Dave Hollister and Joe. They will entertain fans with classics such as “Stutter,” “I Wanna Know,” “One Woman Man” and “Don't Leave Me.”
Fans can visit the team website or Ticketmaster more information on how to attend the team’s 25th anniversary celebration throughout the season.
ABOUT GILBERT ARENAS: Gilbert Arenas averaged 20.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 552 games (455 starts) in 11 seasons with Washington, Golden State, Orlando and Memphis. With Washington (2003-2010), he was named a three-time All-Star (2004-2007) and earned All-NBA team honors in three consecutive seasons (2004-2007). Arenas played for the Wizards for eight seasons, averaging 25.0 points, 5.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Prior to joining the Wizards, Arenas was named the 2002-03 Most Improved Player with Golden State. Throughout Arenas’ time with Washington, he finished top-10 in the league in scoring (2004-05, 4th; 2005-06, 4th; 2006-07, 3rd) and steals (2004-05, 5th; 2005-06, 2nd; 2006-07, 4th) and top-five in three-point field goals made (2004-05, 5th; 2005-06, 2nd; 2006-07, 1st). He was originally selected with the 31st overall pick in 2001 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors.
ABOUT CARON BUTLER: Following a 14-year NBA playing career, Caron Butler enters his third season as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat. Butler posted career averages of 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 881 games (732 starts) with Miami, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington, Dallas, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Detroit and Sacramento. In five seasons with the Wizards (2005-2010), he averaged 19.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was named an All-Star twice (2007 and 2008). Butler was also named to the All-Rookie First Team (2002-03) and won an NBA Championship with Dallas (2011). He was originally drafted by the Miami Heat with the 10th pick of the 2002 NBA Draft. Upon retiring as a player, he joined ESPN as a college game analyst in 2017 before joining Turner Sports as an NBA analyst in 2018. He also worked as game analyst for the Wizards during the 2019-20 season and as a studio analyst for Spectrum SportsNet’s coverage of the Lakers. In 2015 Butler wrote an autobiography (Tuff Juice) and most recently released a second book (Shot Clock).
ABOUT ANTAWN JAMISON: Antawn Jamison is currently in his first season as the vice president of player evaluation and fourth season overall in the Wizards’ front office, after spending last season as senior director of player personnel. Prior to his return to Washington, Jamison spent two seasons as a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers. Jamison played for the Wizards for six seasons (2004-10), posting averages of 20.8 points and 8.9 rebounds and earning two All-Star selections with Washington (2005 & 2008). The 17-year NBA pro averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 1,083 career games (864 starts) with Golden State, Dallas, Washington, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. Jamison played collegiately at the University of North Carolina where he won the Wooden and Naismith Awards as the most outstanding college basketball player as a junior during the 1997-98 season. He was originally selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 1998 NBA Draft.