Wizards 101: Who is in the Wizards Hall of Fame?

August 12, 9:39 PMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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Will Antawn Jamison (right) make the Hall of Fame?
(AP Photo/Lance Murphey).

The Washington Wizards produced three NBA Hall of Fame players in just under five decades as a franchise.  Here's a look at those former players, what it takes to become a Hall of Famer, and who on the current Wizards' roster could be next.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, named after basketball's inventor, Canadian Dr. James Naismith, looks for players, coaches, owners, teams, and even officials whom have "achieved an outstanding standard of excellence."

While NBA greats David "Dave" Bing (enshrined 1990), Moses E. Malone (enshrined 2001), Walter "Walt" Bellamy (enshrined 1993), and Michael Jordan (yet to be enshrined) have left their imprint on the Wizards franchise, only three players in the team's history have earned their Hall of Fame honors primarily with Washington.  Here are those three:

Vernon "Earl the Pearl" Monroe #33/10
[ Enshrined 1990 ]
Earl Monroe, with the help of Wes Unseld, pioneered the NBA's fast-break.   While Monroe will always be linked with the New York Knickerbockers' 1973 Championship, Monroe establish the Bullets in his first four and a half years of his NBA career by giving them a buzz.

The 6'3'" guard brought flashy quickness to Baltimore in a scoring point guard mold similar to the confidence we enjoy today from floor leader Gilbert Arenas. 

Monroe averaged over 20 points and 4 assists per game in his early career for the Washington franchise, and he wasn't a slouch on the boards either, averaging over 3 a game.


Elvin E. "The Big E" Hayes #11
[ Enshrined 1990 ]
Elvin Hayes, Mr. "Game of the Century," gave Washington 9 of his best years in the NBA and helped usher in the franchise's only NBA Championship in 1978.  While he neither started his career nor finished it in Washington, his impact was certainly felt from 1972-1981.  Hayes earned a career average of 19.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, and was also a tremendous blocker.  In 1973, the first year blocks were officially sorted, Hayes averaged 3 blocks per game, and until he left Washington in 1981 Hayes did not have a season in which he averaged less than 2 blocks per game.

While one could argue for the great Moses Malone, who averaged a career 20.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game over a whopping 19 seasons, Hayes was perhaps the greatest defensive center Washington has fielded since the franchise's 1961 inception.

Westly S. "Wes" Unseld #41
[ Enshrined 1988 ]
Long before Antawn Jamison came to Washington via the Dallas Mavericks as Mr. Double-Double, "Wes" Unseld established himself as perhaps the most dominant big guy the franchise had ever seen.  Of course, at only 7 years old, the franchise hadn't seen anyone quite like Wes. 

At only 6'7" the lanky Unseld bodied opponents with his near 250-pound frame and was known as being a physical competitor that worked both ends of the court.  In 1968, Unseld scored 13.8 points and captured 18.2 rebounds per game.  Not bad for a rookie.  As a career 50.9% shooter from the field, Unseld would become the staple of the franchise, cemented by his Finals MVP performance in the Bullets 1978 Championship victory over Seattle Supersonics.

After 13 long seasons exclusively with the Bullets, Unseld defines the pre-Wizards franchise, from "Baltimore," to "Capital" to finally the "Washington" Bullets by the end of his career.  Seven years after his retirement Unseld began a career as the coach of the Bullets, and captured the attention of the Hall of Fame for recognition of his playing days.  Unfortunately for Washington, Unseld's coaching career did not yield as many honors as his playing career.

Who's Next?
On September 11th, the date set for MJ's entry to the shrine, the first "Wizard" will be inducted to the NBA Hall of Fame.  In this modern Wizards era, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison have clocked the most time for Washington, but of the two, Arenas' health concerns have pushed his stats down.  Caron Butler isn't far behind, and depending on what happens Butler could have a long tenure with Washington.

Of the three, Jamison has been the consistent workhorse, averaging 19.9 points and 8 rebounds per game over his 11-season career.  By the end of next season, Jamison will have played half his career in Washington, and should the Wizards complete a NBA Championship in the next few years, AJ's path to the Hall of Fame could be imminent.

What do you you think?  Who should be the next Washington Wizard to make the Hall of Fame cut?

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