The Washington Wizards’ new logo comes without a Wizard in it

The Washington Wizards are attempting to distance themselves with what is pictured above. The Washington Wizards new logo, as pictured below, does not figure an actual Wizard:

The team admitted as much in a press release on Wednesday:

The new primary logo incorporates the “monument ball” design that has been in place since 2011 in combination with the iconic striping from the team’s uniforms, the three stars that represent D.C., Maryland and Virginia (which are also featured on the apron of center court at Verizon Center) and the team’s wordmarks.

The Wizards will continue to prominently use both the monument ball and “DC hands” logos in all collateral materials and will discontinue the use of the “wizard/partial moon” logo that was introduced in 1997 and revamped in 2011.

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This is the former logo:

So, the ‘Zards (copyright, KDonhoops, 1997) will join the Nets, Cavaliers, Nuggets, Pistons, Warriors, Pacers, Clippers, Lakers, Knicks, Thunder, 76ers, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Jazz in not having their nicknames directly placed in a logo. Add the Heat, Magic and potentially the Celtics if you want to get pedantic about it.

That’s over half the league. So why are things different with Washington?

It’s because everyone hates the “Wizards” nickname, and though we’re well aware that gun culture and gun violence is a terrible thing, the team’s previous “Bullets” nickname is far superior. Washington made its first strike to return to the red, white and blue lining of the former Washington Bullets in 2011, and as a result they currently sport some of the best uniforms in the NBA.

Could a return to the “Bullets” be in order? Per the late Abe Pollin’s orders, the legacy of the former owner will probably prevent such a re-branding. This appears to be a happy medium, in the interim.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops