Many of you have seen a new version of a Wizards logo circulating online. We won’t get into confirming or denying the validity of any logo designs. We appreciate and understand the excitement surrounding the new color scheme, and we are planning a comprehensive brand launch. We will announce the specific date for our public unveiling event soon and look forward to sharing our new brand identify with our fans.
Ted's Take
Cant wait to see new logo . I ve been having a debate for a couples months about the Wizards hiring Patrick Ewing for the head coach what u think Ted ?
I agree!
If we can’t get the Bullets back, let’s have the “Washington Delegates”!!
While the city clamors for name change back to the Bullets (which I fully support, the City would love, and would make this franchise POPULAR once again …. I mean seriously who wants to root for “Wizards”…), I understand the ramifications of such a team name. But with all do respect, we need a MUCH better logo than what was “leaked”. Please step it up!!!! We all know that you can.
Washington Bullets or Washington Delegates.
I’m broke and I would still pay money out of my own pocket to have the name changed back to the bullets.
it’s a big deal. it wasn’t too long ago that the celtics and knicks were having terrible seasons. but they still jerseys and other apparel because they have good-looking merchandise and good names.
the wizards is the worst name in the nba, by far.
Ted,
I’m a big fan of you and everything you have done for our city, so most of all – “thanks”. I’ve also been a fan of the Bullets/Wizards since the 70s when they competed for and won titles (I’m 42 years old now). I’m a marketing/PR guy by trade (telecom, now defense industry) and PLEASE bring back the Bullets and a version of the old red, white and blue striped uniforms. I know you know that it will create such a positive vibe in the city and the excitement we need right now (not to mention, good for merchandise sales). Shoot, I’ll personally work for free in your Verizon Center store for 1 week (taking a week’s vacation off work in return) selling new jerseys if you do it. I love what the future may hold, but just can’t get excited about the Wizards name, logo, jerseys or colors anymore. Trust me, I’m chomping at the bit for change, but I’m one of the many patient fans who trust in you – as we are lucky to have you leading the way for our beloved Caps and Bullets (I mean, Wizards:)…Ol’ Skool Fan, Mike Ryan (Aldie, VA).
Ted,
I really hope this isn’t the new logo. I was really looking forward to seeing the new red, white, and blue logo, but I was expecting a whole new design. The current logo is horrible. I have never bought Wizards merchandise for just that reason. The only thing I have bought is the retro Bullets jersey.
I understand that switching back to the Bullets may not be possible, but we really need a new team name. The Wizards just doesn’t work. It’s pretty lame. It’s obvious that Washington fans aren’t happy with the Wizards. Please don’t just throw a band aid on it. Please give the fans what they want.
What better way to change the culture than to change the name and logo. It’s like a fresh start. How about a contest to come up with a list of top 3 new team names? Then you could do contest to design logos for each of the top 3. Leave it to the fans. There’s a lot of creative people out there. I’m sure they could come up with some amazing ideas. If it’s left up to just a few graphic artists that work for the Wizards it’s bound to be subpar.
Assuming that anybody in wizards management even reads these comments – PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE change the name back to the Bullets. Change everything back. The name, the old logo, the colors, everything was so, so classic. I realize that the name was changed to avoid invoking violence and guns in an area plagued by both – but, be serious here, the name of a basketball team has close to no effect on things like that. If you want to have a decent effect on the city’s morale, change the name back – and then donate some money to anti-violence charities or a gun control lobby. Come on Ted, don’t let us down. Don’t tantalize us with the promise of change and then only go halfway.
@Jesse Bussey: You do know that DC United exists and has done since 1995, right?
Changing the name, logo or colors doesn’t change the talent of the team. And “potential” is only as good as reality. That being said,I wish for a swift turnaround under great new leadership.
…in response to F R… it’s been 14 years as the Wiz and no one’s accepted it yet!
I agree. I’d rather have the washington “politicos” (also horrible) than the wizards – anything but wizards. But fine, keep it b/c it costs a lot, but the design is really kindergarten. Perhaps there’s a better logo design in store?
you always do things tastefully it seems, so guess i’m not worried
The Wiards is a terrible name, changing the colors is a great start, and much needed, but we need a new name. The Bullets would be fantastic and you would be a hero if you did it Ted, but if you feel you can’t revert to that name out of respect for Abe, then please, for the love of God, get rid of the name Wizards, we all HATE that name. I have never met one person who likes the name Wizards. How about the Washington Monuments? I think the Washington Monuments is a winner, great logo potential, great mascots, you could have the jefferson and lincoln and washington monuments, great potential. Please Ted, change the name!!!
I agree with red, white and blue and a new logo, but Wizards is a weak franchise name and it has no sense of place. How about the Washington Monuments — that offers some great logo opportunities and it conveys a sense of what is unique about DC along with a sense of height (it’s basketball after all) and greatness. No really obvious abbreviation comes to mind, but that should come naturally anyway, and who thinks “Nats” is actually a good name anyway?
Considering the fact that, what I assume is not an insignificant amount of money is going to be spent to update the teams colors/logo. I am that you and that team that you have assembled to make this happen does realize that it would be a job left half done if the logo & name remain the same. I along with most fans don’t particularly care for the Wizards name and understand why the Bullets name was abandoned (although I like that name). A new name/logo/colors, a entirely new identity, seems like the way to go. While the Caps have a great name befitting the city in which they play, our basketball teams (the Mystics need a new identity also) have names out of some children’s sci-fi epic story.
I really love what the Nationals did with their branding of the team (aside from the curly ‘W’, which looks like they stole it directly from Walgreens) by using ‘Washington’ and ‘DC’ on it’s alternate uniforms. Maybe we could do the same.
I’m with the gentleman who suggested the nickname ‘JUSTICE’. It indeed has a good ring to it. Maybe a logo resembling the Supreme Court.
DC JUSTICE
WASHINGTON JUSTICE
I know you are a fan friendly owner and I hope that you will solicit input from the fans before making a final decision on a new logo/name. Maybe trough a poll giving us a few choices. I often here team owners say that it’s the city’s team, the fan’s team. Here is a chance to let the fan’s have a say in what they want their team to look like when they spend their money to buy their favorite teams merchandise.
Why is changing the logo such a big deal anyway? What is the Wizards logo?! Do ‘Wizards’ even look like that? Is there a lot of cost associated with changing the logo?
Probably too late in the design process, but take into account that we can call ourselves the Wizards with having to reference it at all in the logo. Nets, Knicks, Rockets, Nuggets, Pistons, Trail Blazers, Pacers, Jazz, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers all do the same. Just make the logo a reference to the city. Or a nicely designed W, if it doesn’t reference the city or the mascot, it could stand for either.
Personally, I am against the color change altogether. I like the Wizards’ current primary logo, colors and all. I also have no problem with the nickname “Wizards.”
But whether the leaked logo is valid or not, I think it’s fine. It’s just a logo, nothing to get super worked up about. And everyone will accept it with time.
Bring back the tradition, and all this is moot. Washington Bullets…Red White and Blue, and a Championship history to go with it.
Go with The Washington DIGS….
Ok, sounds strange but how about….Washington Atlantic or Washington Riptide or Washington Humidity or Washington Metros or Washington Right or Washington Warriors or Washington Tides or Washington Revolution or Washington Revolt or Washington Founders or Washington Power or Washington Coasters or Washington Bills or Washington Declaration or Washington Brave or Washington Atlantics or Washington First or Washington Ballers or Washington 7th Streeters or Washington Digs (Dignitaries), they’d become The Digs…hand holding the ball like it was a handkerchief…..Yes, I like it….The WASHINGTON DIGS………..short for Dignitaries……anything but Wizards.
We look forward to a complete overhaul of the logo and associated material that this team has. This is just plain TERRIBLe!
Ted:
Here is the only good new name:
The WASHINGTON JUSTICE.
Think of the movie clips you could show on the jumbotron…think of the tie-ins for announcers.
“John Wall is laying down the law for the Justice tonight!”
“Wall serves Miami a summons with that dunk!”
You could pass out inflatable gavels…
It has ties to DC…
Ruth Ginsberg could do some trampoline dunks.
I’m not an NBA fan and have no direct interest in the name of the team, but I can’t help but laugh at the comments calling for the team to be renamed the Washington Federals. Those of us who have lived in this area long enough to remember the professional football team of that name that played at RFK for two USFL seasons know that the Federals were about as bad as the Washington Generals (who are themselves legendary for being the Harlem Globetrotters’ stooges). My favorite Federals moment was the time when they announced a t-shirt giveaway to the first 10,000 fans in attendance at a home game. Only about 6,000 fans came to the game.
After the Federals moved to Orlando for the 1985 season and became the Renegades, the Washington Post ran a story with a headline that read something like, “Federals: New Name, New City, Still Bad.”
In other words, people have a point about the name “Wizards” being associated with a losing history, but changing the name to “Federals” is not the way to dispel that!
bring back our bullets!
I grew up a Bullets fan
My father grew up a Bullets Fan
My Fathers Father was a Bullets fan
Washington Bullets = Championship History & Tradition
Washington Wizards = Nothing but Drama & let downs it seems
Please bring back the Washington Bullets
The whole logo is LAME. It just looks weak. White jersey with the Washington name across the front with(in red) a basket coming up out of fire. Blue trim on the sides of the jersey and shorts. DC written in the middle of basketball in black.
I really hope that’s not the logo…. awful
Ted, please just give us back our bullets!
Ted
Hurricanes killed a lot of people last few years, and yet Miami Hurricanes are okay.
Washington Bullets is who we are and it’s gone and most of us aren’t interested in Wizards, Seadogs, Generals.
The best you could do is rename the Wizards the Capitals if you won’t do the Bullets!
Please change the name back to the Bullets. I believe that it is obvious that is what the fans want.
I do appreciate the color change, but a color change alone is pretty weak tea. I don’t suspect you’ll go through this exercise again to overhaul the logo next season, so I whole heartedly encourage you to make that change now. As has already been mentioned elsewhere in the comments, this design is busy, complicated and completely devoid of class. The franchise is capable of SO much better. Let’s see it!
If you are going to keep the name wizards (please dont) can you just put washington on the front of the jerseys. I have yet to meet one person who likes the name wizards, why would we keep that name and keep fans mad about it?
Could not agree more with the comments here. Glad to see Red, White and Blue coming back but need to scrap the whole logo and start over. Also need new name. Wizards=losing culture and current mark looks like a busted WuTang mid-90s dated logo.
Most of the fans (including myself) would love to see the name changed back to Bullets. I realize that that may not be possible given the recent events. The color change is a good move. Hopefully this is not the new logo. Its needs a complete re-design. You may also want to consider putting “WASHINGTON” on the jerseys rather than “WIZARDS”. Or, using the secondary “DC” logo. In the future, I think a name change would be a good idea. Something indicative of DC such as GENERALS or FEDERALS.
FYI: I’ve been an art director and designer for 15 years and a Bullets fan for 40 years.
Can we change the name to something other than wizards so people can buy merchandise again. What grown man wants to wear a shirt with the name wizards on it? Go back to bullets please! Wizards is the worst name in the nba.
Ted, although I saw an update on WashingtonPost.com regarding the fact that the leaked updated Wizards logo was a mistake, I still felt that I had to put in my two cents. As everyone else has already stated, PLEASE scrap the old Wizards logo and uniform lettering completely. If you keep the Wizards name, something along the lines of what was done with the new Capitals uniforms would be great – and stick with your love of red jerseys!
Thanks,
A LONG Suffering Bullets/Wizards fan
Horrible. Please go back to Bullets asap. This franchise is Bullets not Wizards
Mr. Leonisis,
I love everything you’ve done as the owner of my two favorite DC sports teams. However – with the acknowledgement that the leaked logo is a rumor – that if that is the logo to be release, I believe you have underestimated the Wizards’ fan base’s disdain for the logo/name combination. Our disapproval runs much deeper that just pure aesthetics. First, the conventional belief is that the Wizards have the worst logo in the NBA. Most of the time, when I’m with friends who root for any other team, they never hesitate to mock the logo. And, to be fair, they are right. I know lots of Wiz fans, and have never met one who truly liked the logo.
Second, there is a perception about the logo. Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that many Wiz fans feel this way: that your predecessor, Mr. Polin, made this change despite the fact that nobody liked the name or logo. It was widely panned at the time both by the media and fans both in DC and across the NBA. It didn’t seem to matter, and that made us angry, which is why you get so many requests to change the logo/name of the team. The logo makes us hardened and cynical, which I’m sure makes the team an unnecessarily difficult sell to the fans.
So, when Wizards fan see the logo, they don’t just see a poorly drawn Wizard. It makes them feel unwelcome, disrespected and inferior. IF that “leaked” logo is the new logo, we’ll still see all of those things, just in red, white and blue. Please consider changing the logo entirely.
slash and burn ted! Slash and burn!!
If your name doesnt rhyme with Won Jall you’re gone!! Tear completely down and start fresh.
I am with everyone else that commented thus far. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE change the name along with the logo design and colors. ANYTHING but the woeful Wizards. I love this new team and am very excited for the future just as I was when the Caps dumped everyone and went young. They, we all need a new start and there is no better way than changing the brand completely. On Michael Lees post in the sports section there are plenty of great names that fit DC! please check it out Ted.
My vote is revolution or revolutionaries “Rev it up”! but plenty great names exist and Wizards are not on that list!!!!
I agree, a new logo. The Caps provide a great template for showing that logos don’t need to be stagnant, and I think there’s a lot that can be done while still keeping a bearded wizard in the logo. Also, I did this up a while back, and thought I’d share: http://patrickneil.tumblr.com/post/1176210627/wizards
Mr. Leonsis,
While I love the color change, the logo hasn’t been cutting it for years and changing it to red white and blue honestly won’t make a difference either.
Hopefully this is just a teaser and there is something more to come (though we will support the team no matter what). We look forward to you leading this team back to the glory!
How about the Washington Federals. The Feds have a nice ring to it. We live in the Fedetal City so it would be a natural fit. It also has a nice synergy with the Caps and the Nats to represent the nations capital.
Why do we need a new logo for a name no one likes. Everybody in DC wants the Bullets back. They have always been the Bullets, they’ll always be the Bullets. Changing the name to the Wizards has been a failure and bad mojo from day one. If Abe had changed the Capitals to the Sorcerers this would be an easy decision, right? This should be an even easier decision. The Bullets won a championship, whereas neither the Capitals or the Wizards have ever won anything. The Bullets have a legacy to be proud of. The Wizards have a legacy people are ashamed of. “The Bullets” is one of the best names in professional sports, not just the best name in the region and I’m a Caps fan first and foremost but I have always been a sports junkie of all stripes. Please make this move. We all know the rebuild is a slow and ugly process- throw us a bone. You’re actually really, really lucky because any other new owner facing a long, ugly rebuild would have nothing to offer the fans in the mean time but you have this fantastic opportunity to give every basketball fan in the area something they’ve been demanding for years. “The Wizards” is a travesty of a name. Do the right thing. Give us back our Bullets. Please.
Bullets is the best name, but even if we have to stick with that fair-to-middling Wizards name, how about a welcome return of our striped uniforms from the 1978 era? Love it!
Ted, want my credit card # now?
Some for you, some for charity, and spiffy new merchandise for me. Win-win-win.
This color scheme is better, but I hope when you say “comprehensive” that you are at least changing the logo as well. Team name, color of the basketball court, etc, would also be VERY welcome. Just don’t do what Oregon did lol. Seriously, though, I’m glad these things matter to you. They sound simple or shallow, but presentation is important. This area is fertile ground for basketball. The opportunity to create a winning brand exists.
Seems rushed – just changing the color scheme but not the look, feel, tone, vibe, etc… wouldn’t think this to be the unveiling.
Just a thought – jerseys with DC. Similar to the Phoenix Suns PHX jerseys. There’s not a washington sports team that embraces the “DC” in Washington, DC – yet. Why not start a trend? DC Wizards.
with due respect, the entire logo design needs to be scrapped, even if the team is just going to change the name next year. it looks very mid-90s in its design. bringing red back in is a good start… but that whole wizard design needs to go.
I’m glad we are changing the colors back to red,white and blue. I also hope to hear the name go back to Bullets! I look forward to the unveiling of our new logo.
please Ted, do not use the logo that has leaked online. please!
the problem with the current logo is more than just the color scheme… it lacks charm, style, and character!
Ted. The mock up I saw, on those NBA jackets, looks absolutely horrific. Please, for the love of DC, come up with something new as fast as you can.
I see the DC Nationals caps all around the country (I travel a lot), and that’s what happens when you have a simple classy logo. That new logo where bronze is just color swapped with red looks absolutely horrific. You had the foresight to not just do a regular color swap with the Capitals and I really hope you have the foresight this time too.
Mr. Leonsis,
Please realize you have to change the logo, not just the color scheme (though that is also imperative). It is dated and reminds fans of a losing culture. Please make it cool so I can find a decent Wiz t-shirt to adorn. Thanks,
Big Wiz Fan,
Matt