WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the NBA, the Washington Wizards have announced numerous interactive fan activities in celebration of the team’s home opener when the Wizards host the Indiana Pacers on Friday, October 22, at Capital One Arena. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. Game night festivities include:
Capital One Fan Van
The Capital One Fan Van will be parked outside Capital One Arena on F Street starting at 5:00 p.m. ahead of the game between the Wizards and the Pacers. The Fan Van features limited edition apparel, interactive engagements including the Hoops Drop plinko board, and exclusive prizes. The Capital One Fan Van will be open to all fans and Capital One cardholders will get an additional exclusive prize if they use the Capital One Cardholder Entrance located on 6th St.
Meet at the Metro with the Wizards
On October 22nd, the Gallery Place-Chinatown WMATA station will host a Wizards takeover from 5:30-6:30 p.m. featuring G-Wiz, the Wizards Dancers and more!
Fan Giveaways
Doors will open to fans at 6:00 p.m. and the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a free D.C. Above All rally towel and a 2021-22 Wizards home schedule mousepad courtesy of Capital One.
Limited tickets are still available to the home opener on Friday, October 22. Tickets can be purchased by visiting washingtonwizards.com/tickets.
This season, the team is launching the 2021 Washington Wizards “Fan Appreciation” Sweepstakes, beginning on Monday, October 18. Fans can enter for their chance to win a pair of tickets to the home opener on Friday, October 22 against the Indiana Pacers.
In-Game Entertainment
This season, fans will see familiar faces with the return of PA Announcer Mark Fratto, in-arena hosts Dennis T & Britt Waters and DJ Heat. Fans will also experience the debut of new and enhanced special effects, individual player introductions and new video content, including the team intro video.
Retail Offers and Concessions
Fans can stop into the Team Store, located adjacent to the F Street entrance, to shop officially licensed Wizards merchandise for the season. The 2021-22 Season Schedule T-shirt (see attached) and the new ‘DC Proper’ collection, a collaboration with the local, Black-owned business, A Life Well Dressed, can be found exclusively at the Team Store.
When visiting the team store or a merchandise kiosk, Capital One cardholders receive 20% off their purchase when they present and use a Capital One credit or debit card at checkout. The discount is only applicable at the time of sale.
Fans who use a Capital One card at concessions will receive a 10% discount on food and beverage at Capital One Arena. Visit capitalonearena.com/cardholderbenefits for additional details.
Capital One Arena is now a cashless venue as part of a continued effort to improve the guest experience by increasing the speed of service. Credit cards, debit cards and contactless payment will be the only form of payment that will be accepted at concessions, retail locations and vendors/hawkers.
TV and Radio/Wizards App/Social Channels
Fans not in attendance will be able to watch the game on NBC Sports Washington and can tune into the Wizards new radio flagship station, The Team 980 (WTEM-AM) to listen to the game.
NBC Sports Washington will present live coverage of 81 of the Wizards’ 82 regular-season games beginning with the season opener on October 20 at 7:30 p.m. when Washington travels to Toronto to face the Raptors.
Live-game coverage on NBC Sports Washington will again be led by play-by-play announcer Justin Kutcher and analyst Drew Gooden – a former Wizards player and 14-year NBA veteran – who are entering their third season as the Wizards’ television announcing team.
This season, NBC Sports Washington will again surround live Wizards games with live gameday programs Wizards Pregame Live and Wizards Postgame Live to provide news, analysis, and commentary for a half-hour before and one hour after games.
All 82 games of the 2021-22 season will be broadcasted on The Team 980, with the familiar voices of Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor serving as the primary announcing team. Fans can also access the Wizards radio broadcast on 1500AM and the Wizards app.
In addition to live radio broadcasts, the Wizards app serves as the mobile home for all team news and content, including articles, videos, in-depth stats, and schedule information. The app also features an "arena" tab, which gives fans access to their ticketing account, concessions, and parking information and more.
Fans can also log on washingtonwizards.com for the team’s Off the Bench podcast. For the latest news, updates and behind the scenes footage, fans can follow the Wizards on Twitter at @WashWizards, @washwizardsjp (Japanese) and @washwizardsil (Israeli), as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
Caesars Sportsbook
Marking a major milestone in U.S. sports history, a Caesars Sportsbook officially opened at Capital One Arena in May 2021, becoming the first ever sports betting venue to open within a U.S. professional sports facility. A first-of-its-kind, marquee destination for local, regional and global visitors, the two-story, 18,000 square-foot venue features 17 betting windows and 16 self-service betting kiosks, as well as Verizon 5G Wi-Fi capability so fans can place wagers on mobile devices.
Throughout the season, Wizards fans are invited to ‘Dine like a Caesar’ at the sportsbook’s fine dining option, inspired by Michelin-starred Chef and Maryland native Nicholas Stefanelli. Featuring an inspired sports-bar menu crafted by Stefanelli the menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, a raw bar, sandwiches, entrees, side dishes and desserts available daily. Click here
to make reservations.
Protocols, Policies and Building Updates
Capital One Arena will return to full capacity crowds and in compliance with the District of Columbia’s mask mandate, fans are required to wear a mask unless actively eating and drinking. Numerous improvements, updates and enhancements have been made to the arena to ensure fan safety as well as improve the fan experience.
Guests are not allowed inside Capital One Arena without a face mask. They must remain masked unless actively eating or drinking. As part of every entertainment presentation at Wizards games, the video boards and public address announcements remind visitors more than a dozen times throughout the game of this masking policy.
Capital One Arena has installed 200 wall placards on concourses, restrooms, stairwells, and concession areas reminding guests of the masking policy. There are over 10,000 guest face masks available for every game and event and are located at all the entrances into the arena. Additionally, ushers across all sections of the arena carry facemasks for guests who misplace theirs. All section ushers have been trained to monitor and remind guests to keep their masks up unless actively eating or drinking. Repeated non-compliance may subject the guest from being removed from the arena. To read more about the Capital One Arena bag policy, payment methods, retail and Capital One Arena venue options and health and safety protocols, click here.
The NBA is celebrating their 75th anniversary and has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.