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When Emma Meesseman dons the court next week for the Washington Mystics and Rui Hachimura does the same for the Washington Wizards in the week after that, you will notice that their jerseys have a different look to them. And here’s why.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced today that the Wizards and Mystics will commemorate the late Wes Unseld on their jerseys when play begins in the NBA and WNBA bubbles later this month. Unseld, a Basketball Hall of Famer, played 13 NBA seasons for the Wizards franchise when they were known as the Bullets, winning an MVP and Rookie of the Year award in 1969 and the NBA Finals in 1978. He passed away on June 2.
The Wizards will wear a No. 41 patch (Unseld’s number) on their right shoulders. They already wear a band on their left shoulder to commemorate former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who passed away on Jan. 1 after suffering a brain hemorrhage a few weeks earlier at a New York City restaurant.
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The Mystics will wear a black band on their left shoulders with the No. 41 on it.
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It is unfortunate that the coronavirus pandemic has denied fans the the opportunity to pay respects to Unseld at a future Wizards game. But kudos to the Wizards and Mystics for making sure his legend lives on when the games restart in the Florida bubbles they are in.