1996–97 Washington Bullets season

The 1996–97 Washington Bullets season was the 36th season for the Washington Bullets in the National Basketball Association, and their 24th season in Washington, D.C.. During the off-season, the Bullets acquired Rod Strickland, and former Bullets forward Harvey Grant from the Portland Trail Blazers, and signed free agents Tracy Murray, Jaren Jackson and Lorenzo Williams. Despite a stellar season last year, Juwan Howard signed a 7-year $100 million contract with the Miami Heat. However, the deal was voided claiming that the Heat exceeded their salary cap; the Bullets quickly re-signed Howard, but would lose their first-round draft pick next year.

With the addition of Strickland, Murray and Grant, the Bullets got off to a 7–6 start to the regular season, but then posted a five-game losing streak afterwards. The team played around .500 in winning percentage for the first half of the season, holding a 22–25 record at the All-Star break. After 46 games, the Bullets fired head coach Jim Lynam, then after playing one game under assistant coach Bob Staak, the team hired former Bullets assistant Bernie Bickerstaff as their new coach. Under Bickerstaff, the Bullets finished the season strong by winning 19 of their final 26 games, including a six-game winning streak between March and April. On the final day of the regular season on April 20, 1997, the Bullets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, 85–81 at the Gund Arena to capture the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference; the team finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 44–38 record, ending an eight-year playoff drought, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1987–88 season.

Chris Webber averaged 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.9 blocks per game, while Howard averaged 19.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, and Strickland provided the team with 17.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. In addition, Calbert Cheaney contributed 10.6 points per game, while last season's Most Improved Player Gheorghe Mureșan averaged 10.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Off the bench, Murray contributed 10.0 points per game, and led the Bullets with 106 three-point field goals, while Chris Whitney provided with 5.2 points and 2.2 assists per game, Jackson contributed 5.0 points per game, and Grant averaged 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Webber was selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first ever All-Star appearance. Meanwhile, Tim Legler participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the second consecutive year; Legler won the competition the previous year.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Bullets faced off against the top–seeded, and defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, who won the Central Division title, and were led by the trio of All-Star guard Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman. The Bullets lost the first two games to the Bulls on the road at the United Center, which included a 109–104 loss in Game 2, in which Jordan scored 55 points. In Game 3 at US Airways Arena, and despite taking a 14–2 lead early in the first quarter, the Bullets lost to the Bulls, 96–95, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep; this would be their final NBA playoff appearance until the 2004–05 season. The Bulls would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz in six games in the 1997 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship, and their fifth championship in seven years.

The Bullets finished twelfth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 700,646 at US Airways Arena during the regular season. This was also the team's final full season in which they played their home games at the arena that was known as the "Capital Centre" in Landover, Maryland; in addition, this was also their final season in which they played occasional home games at the Baltimore Arena. Following the season, Jackson signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs.

Game 3 of the first-round series against the Bulls at US Airways Arena was officially the team's final game as the "Bullets". In 1995, Bullets owner Abe Pollin decided to change the team's name due to gun violence in Washington, D.C., and after the assassination of his friend, Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. On May 15, 1997, the team officially changed its name to the "Wizards", and became known as the "Washington Wizards" the following season. The rebrand was held up by a copyright lawsuit filed by the Harlem Wizards, a traveling comedy basketball team with the same name. Still, the team won the trademark infringement case, as a court ruling allowed them to change their name to the "Wizards".