Washington Wizards First Basket Stats 2025-26: Who Scores First
Bilal Coulibaly scored the Wizards’ first basket more than anyone in 2025-26: 12 times in 56 starts, or 21% of the games they started. Alex Sarr was next with 11. The Wizards made the game’s first field goal in 35% of their 82 games and won 33% of their opening tipoffs. Everything below is counted from the play-by-play of every 2025-26 game (1,225 regular season, 85 playoffs, 6 play-in).
Who scored the first basket for the Wizards in 2025-26
First basket for team is the first field goal by any WAS player; first basket of game is the game’s first field goal by anyone. Rates are per game started.
| Player | Starts | First basket for WAS | Rate | First basket of game | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilal Coulibaly | 56 | 12 | 21% | 6 | 11% |
| Alex Sarr | 48 | 11 | 23% | 5 | 10% |
| Khris Middleton | 34 | 10 | 29% | 4 | 12% |
| Kyshawn George | 48 | 9 | 19% | 3 | 6% |
| Tre Johnson | 42 | 8 | 19% | 0 | 0% |
| Bub Carrington | 48 | 7 | 15% | 4 | 8% |
| CJ McCollum | 35 | 6 | 17% | 1 | 3% |
| Will Riley | 18 | 5 | 28% | 4 | 22% |
| Tristan Vukcevic | 12 | 4 | 33% | 0 | 0% |
| Marvin Bagley III | 8 | 2 | 25% | 1 | 12% |
| Leaky Black | 9 | 2 | 22% | 0 | 0% |
| Anthony Gill | 8 | 2 | 25% | 0 | 0% |
| Corey Kispert | 2 | 1 | 50% | 1 | 50% |
| Justin Champagnie | 19 | 1 | 5% | 0 | 0% |
| Julian Reese | 10 | 1 | 10% | 0 | 0% |
| Trae Young | 5 | 1 | 20% | 0 | 0% |
How often the Wizards scored first
| Split | Games | Scored first | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 82 | 29 | 35% |
| Home | 41 | 18 | 44% |
| Away | 41 | 11 | 27% |
| Regular season | 82 | 29 | 35% |
Opening tipoff
| Jumper | Tipoffs | Won | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Sarr | 48 | 19 | 40% |
| Tristan Vukcevic | 11 | 1 | 9% |
| Julian Reese | 9 | 3 | 33% |
| Marvin Bagley III | 8 | 3 | 38% |
| Anthony Gill | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Bub Carrington | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Team | 81 | 27 | 33% |
How the Wizards’ first baskets were scored
| Method | First baskets | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other 2-pointer (jumper, hook, tip) | 30 | 37% |
| Layup | 26 | 32% |
| 3-pointer | 22 | 27% |
| Dunk | 4 | 5% |
2024-25
| Player | Starts | First basket for WAS | Rate | First basket of game | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Poole | 67 | 18 | 27% | 6 | 9% |
| Alex Sarr | 66 | 15 | 23% | 7 | 11% |
| Bilal Coulibaly | 58 | 12 | 21% | 6 | 10% |
| Bub Carrington | 56 | 9 | 16% | 4 | 7% |
| Jonas Valanciunas | 12 | 7 | 58% | 1 | 8% |
| Khris Middleton | 14 | 5 | 36% | 2 | 14% |
| Kyle Kuzma | 30 | 4 | 13% | 4 | 13% |
| Justin Champagnie | 31 | 4 | 13% | 2 | 6% |
Who scores the first basket most often for the Wizards?
Bilal Coulibaly, with 12 of the Wizards’ first baskets in 2025-26 (21% of their 56 starts), ahead of Alex Sarr with 11.
How often do the Wizards score first?
The Wizards made the first field goal in 29 of 82 games in 2025-26 (35%): 44% at home and 27% on the road.
Who takes the opening tipoff for the Wizards?
Alex Sarr took 48 of the Wizards’ 81 opening tips in 2025-26 and won 40% of them.
Is Bilal Coulibaly a good first basket bet?
That depends on the price. A player who scores first for their team in 21% of starts is worth a bet only when a book prices them below that, after adjusting for tonight’s lineup and opponent. Our models make that comparison every 30 minutes for every NBA game; see NBA first basket picks.
Source: NBA play-by-play and box scores, 2025-26. Updated October 13, 2026. See the NBA first basket leaders for every team, or all stats.