Anthony Gill Embracing DC, Buzz Around 2026-27 Washington Wizards

When Anthony Gill went undrafted in 2016, he had to take another route to find his way into the NBA.

Four professional seasons abroad in Turkey and Russia paved the way for the opportunity he coveted. In December 2020, Gill signed with the Wizards.

Now, Gill enters his seventh season with the Washington Wizards as the franchise’s longest-tenured player. Through a regime change, a rebuilding phase and years of looking toward the future, Gill’s impact has never wavered.

Now, he’s back in Washington — and this team isn’t like many he’s been part of before.

“I’m just excited to be back,” Gill told Wizards Roundtable. “I get to be part of this journey with the Wizards; every day I get with the Wizards is a blessing.”

Gill said starting a new season is always exciting, regardless of expectations, but he feels more of a buzz around this one.

“The city’s excited,” Gill said. “We got the number one pick, we have [Davis], we have [Young], we have [Ayton], we have all of these young players who are so talented. I’m just excited to see what we can do.”

Like his teammates and other members of the organization, Gill couldn’t put a number on what would define success in a season he said will “test” the Wizards.

However, the one thing he could promise is effort.

Nobody has embodied effort and dedication more than Gill over the last seven seasons. Despite playing a mostly limited role throughout his NBA tenure, he’s always found a way to contribute.

There’s a good reason Washington used its final roster spot to bring him back for a stepping-stone season for the franchise. The organization values his continued efforts to support its young players.

Gill didn’t always envision this would become his purpose in the NBA, but he’s now honored to play that role. After entering each season with a chip on his shoulder as a natural competitor, Gill understand his role -- and what consistency also meant for his teammates.

"I understand I have to be constant for these guys consistency and show them what it means to be a professional,” he said.

Gill said he’s not sure exactly when embracing that role really hit home for him, but he loves being able to share the NBA journey with his teammates.

During the interview, he spotted 20-year-old Wizards forward Will Riley. He quickly brought Riley over and used him as an example of what he takes pride in.

“To get to go through this journey with him of being a draft pick in the NBA, and to be hit with a lot of money all at once; for me, I just want to guide him through that and let him know ‘you’re more than a basketball player…you’re a whole man outside of this.’”

Gill is empathetic. That feeling doesn’t extend only to his teammates. He shares that same sentiment toward a Wizards fan base starving for success.

“I feel for our fans,” Gill said. “This has been a tough few years for our fans, but they consistently showed up. There’s games where we’re playing someone record-wise just as bad as we are in the wins and losses column, but the fans will still be there supporting us.”

Gill said he has taken notice of familiar faces he’s seen in the building on a nightly basis, and he hopes the team can finally reward those devoted fans.

He shares the same sentiment as his teammates, nearly all of whom have delivered a similar message: The time to start winning and competing again is now.

“Now it’s our turn to come back and support them,” Gill said. “We support them in the community, we’re out in the community working hard every single day, but it comes down to basketball. We need to provide wins for them, and that’s what we’re going to try to do this year.”