Faisal Hassan

Washington got rid of the Bullets name in 1997. Six years later, everybody wanted a Michael Jordan Bullets jersey, including me. I had one. The team’s owner, Abe Pollin, changed the name to the Wizards because of concerns about gun violence in the city. But in Jordan’s final season, 2002-03, the Wizards brought the Bullets uniforms back for throwback nights, and Jordan wore No. 23 with “Bullets” across his chest. It landed right in the middle of the biggest throwback jersey craze ever. From 2001 to 2003, throwbacks were everywhere, especially in hip-hop and street fashion. Mitchell & Ness, the biggest throwback brand, went from $2 million in sales in 2000 to $35 million in 2003. The Bullets were already one of its hits. That same year, Ohio ruled high-school senior LeBron James ineligible for accepting two free throwbacks from a store, and one of them was a Wes Unseld Bullets jersey. By 2005, Mitchell & Ness sales had fallen back to $15 million, and the craze was over. But the Jordan Bullets jersey still sells today, for a team name Washington retired almost 30 years ago.