In November 1995 , owner Abe Pollin announced he was changing the team 's nickname , because '' Bullets '' had acquired violent overtones that had made him increasingly uncomfortable over the years , particularly given the high homicide and crime rate in the early 1990s in Washington , D.C . The name change was widely believed to be related to the assassination of Pollin 's longtime friend , Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
assassination
Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
Washington Wizards