Washington Caps

Washington Caps
Conference	None
Division	Western Division
Founded	1967
History	Oakland Oaks 1967–1969 Washington Caps 1969–1970 Virginia Squires 1970–1976
Arena	Washington Coliseum
Location	Washington, D.C.
Team colors	Green and yellow
Head coach	Al Bianchi

The Washington Caps were an American Basketball Association team from 1969 through 1970. The franchise had previously been the Oakland Oaks. From 1970 through 1976 the team played as the Virginia Squires.

With the formation of the ABA in February 1967 a team was awarded to Oakland, California for $30,000 with singer Pat Boone as primary owner. The team was originally the Oakland Americans but the name was eventually changed to the Oakland Oaks. NBA star Rick Barry signed with the Oaks, as did Steve Jones and Levern Tart. Barry, however, was prevented from playing in the ABA due to a lawsuit brought by his former NBA team (regarding enforcement of the reserve clause in his contract), so he spent the season as the Oaks' radio announcer instead of as a player. The Oaks won the very first ABA game in 1967 (a 132-129 victory against the Anaheim Amigos on October 3, 1967) and the Oaks breezed through the 1969 ABA Playoffs and won the 1969 ABA Championship over the Indiana Pacers. However, the Bank of America was threatening to foreclose on a $1.2 million loan to the team and in August 1969 a group of Washington, D.C. investors led by Earl Foreman bought the team and moved it to Washington for the upcoming season.

With the move came a new identity for the team as the green and gold clad Washington Caps. Al Bianchi was the team's coach. A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Caps regarding Rick Barry's contract. Barry openly objected to playing in Washington, DC, and sat out the first 32 games of the season, but the courts eventually forced him to report to the team. Barry and Warren Armstrong both played in the ABA All Star game but injuries limited their playing time for the season.

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