Tre Mann, in his first season with Washington, beat fourth-year wing Bilal Coulibaly in a three-point contest during the open practice.
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WASHINGTON — Kevin Miles and his son, McKinley, took no chances Thursday.
They expected a large crowd for the Washington Wizards’ annual open practice and wanted to be among the first to enter Capital One Arena and claim two of the best seats for the free, general-admission event.
At 1:30 p.m. ET, before anyone else, they arrived at the building’s entrance along F Street Northwest to stake their places in line. They stood outside, in temperatures that reached 85 degrees, for the next 3 1/2 hours. Their only breaks came when one of them would go to a Compass Coffee shop across the street to buy a bottle of water and enjoy the air conditioning for a little while.
They made the right choice. By 4:45 p.m., a sign of resurrected fan interest in the team, about 100 to 150 more fans had joined them at the entrance, many wearing Wizards jerseys or caps.
Kevin, a 52-year-old resident of Arlington, Va., has been a fan of the franchise since the 1980s, and he cannot remember many instances in which fans felt this excited about the area’s NBA team.
“I have great optimism right now because of the mixture of the veterans with the young core,” he said. “I’m expecting great things from this Wizards team.”
McKinley Miles, 18, said he and his family started feeling extra excited about the team’s future when the Wizards traded for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis in February, won the NBA Draft Lottery in May and drafted AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick in June.
“I think they’re going to be a top-three seed if they stay healthy,” McKinley said.
The NBA strongly encourages all teams to hold a free practice open to the public before each regular season. In 2024 and again last year, the Wizards held their open practices at Washington high schools with students in the audience. But this year, amid increased demand for tickets, Monumental Sports & Entertainment officials chose to hold the event at Capital One Arena. Tickets went online on Sept. 25, and all were claimed within several days.
Fans filled nearly 85 percent of the arena’s lower bowl, and perhaps several hundred fans dotted the arena’s middle deck.
Caught a vibe at Open Practice 🏀 pic.twitter.com/t9jL5YKNVV
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 2, 2026
“That’s by far the most I’ve ever seen in an open practice,” said Wizards coach Brian Keefe, who has been in the NBA for nearly 20 years.
Kian Harris, 19, of Rockville, Md., arrived at the arena at 2 p.m. and secured one of the first places in line. Harris and a friend chose a front-row seat in Section 100, close to the event floor.
“I think it’ll be cool to see this new season’s team,” Harris said. “There’s a lot of talent.”
The Wizards held a full practice earlier in the day at their practice facility in Southeast Washington. The open event at Capital One Arena nearly six hours later began with a public address announcer introducing every player on the roster — and with most fans on their feet to cheer. Davis, Dybantsa and Trae Young received the loudest welcomes.
The proceedings resembled the Saturday-night events prior to an NBA All-Star Game, highlighted by a 3-point shooting contest. Tre Mann, a combo guard in his first season with Washington, outshot fourth-year wing Bilal Coulibaly in the contest’s final round.
The Wizards decided to do some rookie hazing, with Davis taking a microphone and asking the fans if they wanted to see the team’s two rookies — Dybantsa and center Felix Okpara — sing and dance.
Dybantsa and Okpara sang “One Dance” by Drake. They were off-key but sang enthusiastically. Then, they did the Dougie.
“It was great being in here, getting to squeak the shoes on the arena floor, getting to know how loud it can get here,” Dybantsa said. “It wasn’t even halfway full, and it was super loud. So, you can only imagine what it’s going to be like when the season comes around.”
Kevin and McKinley Miles watched from seats in Section 100, four rows up, near center court. When the event ended at 7 p.m., they were asked whether arriving at the arena at 1:30 p.m. was worth it.
Smiling, they answered in unison, “Yeah!”
“We thoroughly enjoyed it,” Kevin said.
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Josh Robbins is a senior writer for The Athletic. He began covering the Washington Wizards in 2021 after spending more than a decade on the Orlando Magic beat for The Athletic and the Orlando Sentinel, where he worked for 18 years. His work has been honored by the Football Writers Association of America, the Green Eyeshade Awards and the Florida Society of News Editors. He served as president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association from 2014 to 2023. Josh is a native of the greater Washington, D.C., area.
