In their long career, the Washington Wizards has been known under several different names, called 6 different arenas their home, and have had countless individual and franchise achievements. It’s clear that the Capital One Arena is one amazing arena in a great location. And the Capital One Arena also hosted two all star games the 2001 NBA All-Star Game and the 2007 WNBA All-Star Game. It also hosted the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournaments in first and second round events in 1998, 2002, 2008, and 2011. The arena has also been home to Mike Tyson’s final fight vs Kevin McBride on Jas well as UFC Live’s famous Cruz vs Johnson bout on October 1, 2011. with a capacity of 20,356 spectators in their basketball arrangement. Today, the arena is a big part of Washington D.C. Then on December 2, 1997, the arena held its first event, a game between the Wizards and the Seattle SuperSonics, with President Bill Clinton in attendance. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in October 1995. Then with help from BET’s Robert Johnson and district funding, construction was underway. They set out to build an arena at the Gallery Place site. These plans led to a deal with Washington’s business leaders. So Abe Pollin, the owner of both teams in 1993, made plans to move the teams to a new arena. It also wasn’t up to the standards of other NBA and NHL venues. But the arena experienced subpar attendance because of its inconvenient location for Washington and Baltimore residents. They were formally playing from the USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland. But the project was canceled in 1992.Īt this time, the original home of the Washington Wizards (then known as the Washington Bullets). Capital Landmark Associates was selected to develop the site, originally with a plan to use the land for a mixed-use complex including retail outlets, offices, apartments, and a hotel. But during development of the Gallery Place Metro station in 1973, the District government bought the land with big dreams of redevelopment. It was considered a bold move to build the arena between 6th and 7th and F and G streets, since the neighborhood was suffering from urban decay. The Arena has been the current home of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, and the NCAA’s Georgetown Hoyas since 1997. Many city analysts have pointed to the arena as a success and one of the driving forces behind the restoration of D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood. The Capital One Arena is Washington D.C.’s indoor arena located atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station. The name stuck until 1997, when they rebranded themselves to the Washington Wizards. When the team moved to Washington DC in 1973, they changed their name to the Capital Bullets and then the Washington Bullets. In 1963, the team relocated to Baltimore, Maryland and changed their name to the Baltimore Bullets. The franchise was originally established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers, based out of Chicago Illinois.
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