The Washington Capitols were a charter Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbach.
The team was founded in 1946 as a charter BAA team; it became a charter NBA team in 1949. It folded on January 9, 1951 (with a 10–25 record). The home arena was Uline Arena in Washington, capacity 7,500. The teams wore green and white. The NBA would return to the Washington, D.C. area in 1973, when the Baltimore Bullets became the Capital Bullets.
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Franchise history
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The Capitols' 81.7 win percentage in the BAA's inaugural season is still one of the top 10 winning percentages in NBA history.
The Washington Capitols are also noteworthy for two long win streaks during their short history. In 1946, the Capitols won 17 straight games — a streak that would remain the NBA's longest until 1969. The 15–0 start of the 1948–49 team is still the best in NBA history (albeit tied in 1993–94 by the Houston Rockets).
- NBA Championships: None
- Divisional Championships: Regular Season: 2 (1946–47 and 1948–49) ; playoffs (1947, 1948, 1949, 1950)
- Bill Sharman (leading scorer in the 1951 season)
- Red Auerbach (coach)
Leading scorers by season
- 1947 – Bob Feerick – 16.8 ppg
- 1948 – Bob Feerick – 16.1 ppg
- 1949 – Bob Feerick – 13.0 ppg
- 1950 – Don Otten – 14.9 ppg (in 18 games. Jack Nichols scored 13.1 over 49 games, but Fred Scolari scored the most points, with 860 in 66 games.)
- 1951 – Bill Sharman – 12.2 ppg
Coaches and others
- 1947–1949 – Red Auerbach
- 1950 – Bob Feerick – player-coach
- 1951 – Bones McKinney – player-coach
- 1950 – Earl Lloyd – first African American to play in the NBA
Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win–Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitols (BAA) | |||||
| 1946–47 | 49 | 11 | 0.817 | 2–4 | Lost Semifinals |
| 1947–48 | 28 | 20 | 0.583 | 0–1 | Lost West Div Tie |
| 1948–49 | 38 | 22 | 0.633 | 6–5 | Lost BAA Finals |
| Washington Capitols (NBA) | |||||
| 1949–50 | 32 | 36 | 0.471 | 0–2 | Lost East Div Semis |
| 1950–51 | 10 | 25 | 0.286 | Did not qualify | |
See also
External links
- Team page at Basketball-reference.com
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