“You want it? You want it?” I did. I wanted the basketball. So I flashed to the wing and nodded to Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins, who passed it my way. There were 10 seconds left in the half, and I was determined to score the last bucket.
I took the ball to the top of the key. “Iso!” yelled Dawkins. “Iso!” I was standing on the court at CareFirst Arena, home to the Washington Mystics and Capital City Go-Go and also where the Wizards practice. And believe it not, this wasn’t the sports daydream of a twenty-something social media producer whose hoops career peaked at the JV level in high school.
Nope, it was real, part of the Wizards’ 2026-27 Media-Tip Off event. Held a few weeks ago to get members of the local press warmed up for the new NBA season—the Wizards open against the Milwaukee Bucks at Capital One Arena on Wednesday—the day-long gave me and a dozen or so other attendees an inside look at the franchise, which is attempting to make a jump from utterly woe-begotten to actually watchable, and perhaps even downright competitive.
Full disclosure: I was born too late to enjoy Michael Jordan’s actual last dance in DC, or really embrace the pre-GunGate Gilbert Arenas area. But I did fall in love with John Wall’s teams, which reached the Eastern Conference semifinals three times, and I’ve suffered through the subsequent near-decade of mediocrity and from-the-struts rebuilding. So yes, I’m biased. Still, there are real reasons to be excited about this year’s squad, which features a number of high recent draft picks—including 2026 overall No. 1 selection AJ Dybantsa—as well as four-time All-Star Trae Young and NBA champion and 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis. Maybe this is the start of something special; at the very least, the Wizards have a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in a long time.
But that’s looking ahead. What excited me most about the tip-off event was the chance to simply step on a professional court. After arriving, our day started with a red carpet entrance photoshoot and a one-day Wizards contract signing with Go-Go general manager Jonathan Wall. We signed our papers, shook hands, took a photo, and then were given a shirt, shorts, and socks. Next came some intel on fun things the franchise has planned for this season; sadly, it was off-the-record, presumably because the Wizards want to keep some surprises up their sleeves.
After that, we headed for the dressing room, where I got to put on what amounted to a practice uniform. Preparing to warm up on the court, we were greeted by a surprise guest: Dawkins, a former Emerson College basketball player who scored over 1,000 points in his career. Jogging back and forth, stretching, and going through dribbling and defending drills, I could see some of my peers losing balls or getting confused. Not Dawkins. You could tell he would be a force on the floor. We split up into five-on-five teams, and then the game began: four quarters, about five minutes each.
I found myself in the starting lineup—maybe because I’m a former college athlete, maybe because I’m 6-foot-3. If I’m being totally honest, the early play was a little rough. There were missed passes, errant dribbles, and a few airballs. Eventually, everyone settled into a good flow. For me, the highlight came at the end of the first half. The clock was running down, and after Dawkins put his faith in me, I didn’t want to let him down.
I drove left. I could hear my teammates and some of the Wizards’ assistant coaches yell out the time. Five seconds left! I felt my defender on me, but pushed through into open space. My layup went in right before the buzzer sounded. I breathed a sign of relief, then felt a huge burst of adrenaline and happiness rush through my body as I high-fived my teammates.
Will the Wizards’ season be nearly as exciting? It’s too early to say. What I do know is that I left CareFirst Arena walking a little taller that day—and that as a fan, I’m eager to find out.
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