Wizards Primary Logo
The Washington Wizards have a long and storied history when it comes to their primary logo. The team has gone through several iterations of the design, reflecting changes in ownership, branding strategies, and even the city's identity over time.
The first iteration of the Wizards' primary logo was unveiled in 1997 when they were known as the "Bullets." This version featured an orange basketball with red stripes on either side that formed a 'W.' It also had two stars above it representing Washington D.C., which at that time was still considered part of Maryland rather than its own district. This design is still used today for throwback merchandise or special occasions such as anniversaries or holidays related to D.C.
In 2001, after changing their name from Bullets to Wizards due to gun violence concerns within DC communities at large, the team updated its logo again by adding blue accents around both sides of the W along with some additional star detailing near each corner. This new look gave off a more magical feel while maintaining connections back to both DC culture and sports teams like baseball’s Nationals who use similar color schemes. Today this version continues being used across all official merchandise, uniforms, and other promotional materials associated with Washington’s NBA franchise.
2015 - Present
The new primary logo incorporates the “monument ball” design that has been in place since 2011 in combination with the iconic striping from the team’s uniforms, the three stars that represent D.C., Maryland and Virginia and the team’s wordmark “WASHINGTON” on top and “WIZARDS” on the bottom all in white.
2012 - 2015
In 2011, the Wizards shed the colors of old and adopted a far more pleasing nod to the Nation’s Capital with the red, white and blue scheme. The refreshed “Wizards and moon” mark is highlighted by the new red, white and blue color scheme as well as a modified font and tweaks to the structure of the logo.
The re-colored Wizards’ logo features a blue “W” as the body of the wizard and he has a white beard. The wizard is holding a red basketball with white seams and he is pointing to a red star in the other hand. Also a crescent blue moon shaped like a basketball. A wordmark “WIZARDS” below the logo in blue.
2008 - 2011
The 2008 logo is the same logo as the 1998 logo with only some slight color changes.
The Wizards’ logo features a black “W” as the body of the wizard and he has a white beard. The wizard is holding a gold basketball with black seams and he is pointing to a gold star in the other hand. Also a crescent gold moon shaped like a basketball. A wordmark “WIZARDS” below the logo in blue.
1998 - 2007
The first version of the Wizards’ logo features a black “W” as the body of the wizard and he has a white beard. The wizard is holding a gold basketball with black seams and he is pointing to a gold star in the other hand. Also a crescent gold moon shaped like a basketball. A wordmark “WIZARDS” below the logo in blue.
1988 - 1997
The Bullets made some dramatic changes to their logo. They changed the font, changed to a lighter blue, capitalized the letter “B” and changed back to a red with white outline basketball.
1975 - 1987
The Washington Bullets went with the same logo from 1974 with some minor changes. The wordmark “Bullets” in blue with the letters “ll”‘s forming two hands grabbing for a red basketball. A wordmark ‘WASHINGTON” in blue above the letter “b.”
1974
The Capital Bullets use the same logo from 1970’s Baltimore Bullets logo. A wordmark “Bullets” in blue with the letters “L” forming two hands grabbing for a red basketball. A wordmark ‘CAPITAL” in blue on top and to the right of the main wordmark.
1973
“bullets” wordmark in light blue with the letters “l” forming two hands grabbing for a orange basketball. A wordmark ‘BALTIMORE” in light blue on the top and to the right of the main wordmark.
1972
“bullets” wordmark in blue with the letters “l” forming two hands grabbing for a orange basketball. A wordmark ‘BALTIMORE” in blue on the top and to the right of the main wordmark.
1970 - 1971
“bullets” wordmark in light blue with the letters “l” forming two hands grabbing for a orange basketball. A wordmark ‘BALTIMORE” in light blue on the top and to the right of the main wordmark.
1969
“bullets” wordmark in orange with the letters “l” forming two hands grabbing for a orange basketball. A wordmark ‘BALTIMORE” in blue on the top and to the right of the main wordmark.
1963 - 1969
Wordmark “Bullets” in red on a white with blue outline basketball. A blue bullet flying just below the main wordmark followed by a red streak starting at the letter “B.” A wordmark “BALTIMORE” on top in blue.
1963
The new team called Zephyrs would feature a wordmark “Zephyrs” in gold with a white and black outline aligned across diagonally. The letters are streaking to symbolize wind.
1962
The Packers original logo in 1962, a black outline of a bull’s head on a brown basketball.