For the first time in nearly a decade, the NBA Finals came and went without a former Washington Wizards player winning a ring. The end of this bizarre and bittersweet eight-year run feels like the right time to move on. Enough with the odd footnotes and former players. It’s time for the Wizards to start building something of their own.
With the No. 6 overall pick in this week’s NBA Draft, the Wizards are in a position to turn the page on a forgettable and embarrassing stretch of mediocrity and mismanagement. The end of the “former Wizard wins a title” streak isn’t just a quirky stat; it’s symbolic of D.C.’s basketball team. The Wizards no longer need to watch former players succeed elsewhere.
It’s time to build something real in D.C.
The streak began in 2017 and has since become an annual tradition. Even as the Wizards found themselves at the bottom of the standings or rebooted their roster again, fans could always count on one thing: someone who once wore a Wizards jersey would be lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.
It started with JaVale McGee and Shaun Livingston winning back-to-back titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. Both had passed through Washington earlier in their careers: McGee as a big man and Livingston as a steady veteran during the John Wall era.
In 2019, Jodie Meeks got his ring with the Toronto Raptors after bouncing around the league post-Washington. The 2020 bubble title saw a trio of ex-Wizards, McGee again, Dwight Howard, and Markieff Morris, celebrate with the Los Angeles Lakers. Howard’s brief, rocky stint in D.C. made his late-career revival in L.A. all the more ironic.
Bobby Portis, traded in 2019 as part of a deadline sell-off, became a fan favorite and crucial piece of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 championship run. The following year, the Warriors featured three more former Wizards: Gary Payton II (waived by Washington), Otto Porter Jr. (a former No. 3 pick whom they had extended but ultimately dealt), and Chris Chiozza (a two-way guard who had briefly flashed in D.C.).
In 2023, the Denver Nuggets featured an entire Wizards reunion tour, Jeff Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ish Smith, and Thomas Bryant, all contributing to Denver’s first-ever title. All were either traded or let go without Washington fully capitalizing on their value.
Finally in 2024, Kristaps Porzingis, once the centerpiece of the Wizards’ frontcourt rebuild, capped off the streak with a Finals win in Boston. His tenure in D.C. ended in a trade that, in retrospect, symbolized yet another pivot toward a new direction.
Now, the page turns.
With the No. 6 Overall pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, the Wizards have a chance to add a true franchise cornerstone, someone who doesn’t win a ring elsewhere, but in Washington.
The front office, led by Will Dawkins, has already started reshaping the culture. The hiring of Brian Keefe as head coach signaled a shift in development, highlighted by last year’s draft class that featured Alexandre Sarr (2nd overall), Bub Carrington (14th overall), and Kyshawn George (24th overall) that are being developed as one of the youngest defensive front courts in the league.
Ending the title streak may sting a little for those who clung to it as a twisted badge of honor. But deep down, it had always been a symptom of the problem, not a cause for celebration.
It’s time for the Wizards to stop watching their former players shine elsewhere and finally build a team worth celebrating at home. Draft night could be the first real step toward making that happen.
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