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A quick history of Washington Wizards getting hit by basketballs

As you'd expect, there's more than one instance of a Wizard getting hit by a basketball.

By Jake Whitacre
"Ow, my face." -Drew Gooden, probably.
"Ow, my face." -Drew Gooden, probably.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

If you've been on our Facebook page recently, you may have noticed the above photo of Drew Gooden reacting after a dunk in transition against the Suns on Wednesday. It's great for a few reasons. First, pictures of a 32 year old Drew Gooden dunking are hard to come by, so that great. Secondly, pictures of Drew Gooden making funny faces are nice, even though they're far more common. Most importantly, it's funny because Drew Gooden got smacked in the face by a basketball.

But chuckles aside, this is the latest in a series of Wizards that have been hit by basketballs. Let's take things back to December, when this happened:

The only thing more impressive than the photographer capturing the exact moment the basketball transferred its kinetic energy to Wittman's face is the poise Randy showed through it all. Martell Webster said he "took it like a G," which sounds like an apt description that Wittman wouldn't fully understand.

Then we have to go back to the mid-2000s when Darius Songaila got hit in the shoulder by a basketball. What happens next is very Wizards:

Speaking of very Wizard things, let's not forget about the most famous instance of a Wizard getting hit by a basketball:

Sure, you might say Michael Ruffin initiated contact with the ball, but if you understand how destiny works, you know that ball was going to reach his hands long before that play started.

UPDATE: Via wizmop in the comments, here's a team ballboy getting hit in the face with a basketball.