The Wizards began in 1961 as the Chicago Packers, the NBA’s first expansion team, and reached Washington by way of Baltimore. Along the way the franchise has had six arenas: two in Chicago, the Baltimore Civic Center (twice), a few weeks at Maryland’s Cole Field House, the Capital Centre in Landover and, since 1997, Capital One Arena.
Here is every home in order, with the years the team played there, what made each one matter and what stands on the site today. Each arena with a ThrillZing guide links to it.
Every Wizards Arena, 1961 to Today
- Chicago
- 1961–1962
International Amphitheatre
The expansion Chicago Packers' first home, a 1934 hall next to the Union Stock Yards; the name nodded to the meatpacking trade. Rookie Walt Bellamy averaged 31.6 points, but the team went 18–62.
Today: Demolished starting in 1999; an Aramark plant stands on the site
- 1962–1963
Chicago Coliseum
Renamed the Zephyrs, the team spent one season in the old Coliseum on South Wabash Avenue, refurbished to seat 7,000; the rival ABL kept them out of Chicago Stadium. In 1963 they moved to Baltimore.
Today: Closed in 1971 and torn down in stages by the early 1990s; Soka Gakkai USA occupies the site
- Baltimore
- 1963–1973
Baltimore Civic Center
Opened in 1962 on the site of Old Congress Hall. The Baltimore Bullets won division titles here in 1969 and 1971–1973 and reached the 1971 Finals; it hosted the 1969 All-Star Game.
Today: Still in use as CFG Bank Arena, renovated in 2022–23
- College Park
- 1973
Cole Field House
The University of Maryland's arena served as the renamed Capital Bullets' home in November 1973, while the team waited for the Capital Centre in Landover to open.
Today: Rebuilt as the Jones-Hill House, the Maryland football team's indoor practice and operations center
- Landover
1973–1997Owner Abe Pollin's $18 million arena off the Capital Beltway, opened December 2, 1973. The Bullets played the 1975, 1978 and 1979 Finals here and won the 1978 title. Later USAir Arena and US Airways Arena.
Today: Imploded in December 2002; the site has been redeveloped twice, most recently as the Carillon mixed-use project
Stadium history →- Baltimore
- 1989–1997
Baltimore Arena
The old Civic Center, renamed in 1986. The Washington Bullets came back to play a few home games a year here, 35 in all from January 1989 to a win over Dallas on March 29, 1997.
Today: Still in use as CFG Bank Arena
- Washington
- 1997–presentCurrent home
Opened December 2, 1997, as MCI Center in Chinatown, on top of the Gallery Place Metro station, with the team renamed the Wizards. Later Verizon Center; a $1 billion renovation is due by the 2027–28 season.
Visiting guide →
Wizards Arena FAQ
Where did the Wizards play before Washington?
In Chicago and Baltimore. As the Packers they played the 1961–62 season at the International Amphitheatre, then one season as the Zephyrs at the Chicago Coliseum. From 1963 to 1973 they were the Baltimore Bullets at the Baltimore Civic Center. In 1973 they moved to the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland, playing their first home games of that season at Cole Field House while it was finished.
How many arenas have the Wizards had?
Six: the International Amphitheatre, the Chicago Coliseum, the Baltimore Civic Center, Cole Field House, the Capital Centre and Capital One Arena. The Bullets also went back to Baltimore for a few home games a year from 1989 to 1997, playing 35 games at the renamed Baltimore Arena.
Why did the team move into Washington?
The Capital Centre, where the Bullets won the 1978 NBA title, sat off the Capital Beltway, a location that was inconvenient for both Washington and Baltimore fans, and by the 1990s it trailed newer NBA and NHL arenas. Washington business leaders brokered a deal between owner Abe Pollin and the District government for a new arena at the Gallery Place site downtown, and the team, renamed the Wizards, moved in when it opened as MCI Center in December 1997.
Is the Capital Centre still standing?
No. It closed in March 2002 and was imploded that December. A shopping center built on the site was itself torn down in 2019 for the Carillon development. The Baltimore Civic Center is still in use as CFG Bank Arena, and both Chicago arenas are gone.
Where do the Wizards play now?
At Capital One Arena in Washington’s Chinatown, above the Gallery Place Metro station, which seats 20,356 for basketball and is shared with the Capitals. After talks about a move to Alexandria, Virginia, fell apart in 2024, the city and owner Ted Leonsis agreed to keep both teams in the District at least until 2050, and the arena is getting a $1 billion renovation.