Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Atlanta Hawks.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Hawks made it to the play-in but did not make the official post-season.  Nevertheless, there were two new entrants and multiple elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Bob Pettit
2. Dominique Wilkins
3. Cliff Hagan
4. John Drew
5. Mookie Blaylock

You can find the entire list here.

Guard Trae Young, named to his third All-Star Game last year, rose to #12 from #15.

Center Clint Capela moved up four spots to #26.

The two new entrants, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okungwe, debuted at #45 and #46, respectively.

Walt Hazzard and Antoine Carr fell off the list.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

From Serbia, Bogdan Bogdanovic was a late First Round Pick in 2014 by the Sacramento Kings, though it would be three years before he played there.  After his first three seasons in Sacramento, he was traded to Atlanta, where, as of this writing, he has played in a productive capacity for 4 years.

Bogdanovic has been equally solid as a starter and bench performer for the Hawks, averaging approximately 15 Points per Game over his ATL tenure.  Twice receiving votes for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, Bogdanovic can score in bunches, and his shooting style can befuddle the most seasoned NBA veteran.

Despite his success, Bogdanovic was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers during the season.  With Atlanta, he played 264 Games with a 15.1 PPG.

A former Mr. California Basketball and star at USC, Onyeka Okongwu was Atlanta’s 2020 Lottery Pick (Sixth Overall).

Okungwu dealt with a torn labrum early in his career but was healthier by his third season.  Two years ago, the Center had his first double-digit finish in Points per Game, and increased that to 13.4 Points with an RPG of 8.9.

Okuongwu is still a work in progress and could still blossom into one of Atlanta’s next great big men.

Paul Millsap made history in college by becoming the first player to lead the NCAA in rebounds for three consecutive years. Despite his success in the Western Athletic Conference, the power forward from Louisiana Tech was not drafted until the 47th overall pick in 2006, which turned out to be a steal for the Utah Jazz.

In his first four years, Millsap played off the bench. However, in the 2010-11 season, he took over as the starting power forward. Over the next three years, he averaged at least 14 points, 7 rebounds, and a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of over 19, establishing himself as a complete power forward. With his stock rising, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks, where he went to every All-Star Game over the next four years and averaged 17.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Not only was this the best run of his career, but Millsap also led Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016, where they were swept by Cleveland. That season, he finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, was a Second Team All-Defensive selection, and led the NBA in Defensive Win Shares.

Millsap signed with the Denver Nuggets in 2017, where he played for four years. However, as he aged, his performance started to decline. He closed his career in 2021-22 with stints in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

Despite being a four-time All-Star, Millsap never received an MVP vote, which is something worth noting.

Joe Johnson was a Mr. Arkansas Basketball and he stayed in state to play his college ball at the University of Arkansas where he was the SEC Rookie of the Year.  Johnson declared for the draft in 2001, where he was taken 10^th Overall by the Boston Celtic 10^th Overall, but he did not last the season, as he was traded to Phoenix.

The trade accelerated Johnson’s development as he saw significantly more playing time with the Suns and in all three of his full seasons in the Desert, Johnson obtained Most Improved Player of the Year votes.  Johnson was a restricted free agent in 2005, and the Atlanta Hawks pulled the trigger, landing Johnson in a sign-and-trade.  The ATL suited Johnson well.

With the Hawks, Johnson was the lead option and averaged over 20 Points per Game in his first five seasons (2005-06-2009-10), with All-Star appearances in the last six (2006-07-2011-12).  Johnson was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2009-10.  As good as Johnson was, the Hawks were never serious championship contenders, though he had impressive numbers in Atlanta with a 20.8 PPG over 508 Games.  Johnson was traded to Brooklyn in 2012, and in 2014, he went to his seventh and final All-Star Game.

In 2016, Johnson was traded to Miami for their playoff run, and he signed with Utah the year later but was now a reserve player until he retired (for the first time) in 2018 after a stop with the Houston Rockets.

Johnson’s Hall of Fame clock was pushed back by three years, as he returned to the Celtics on a 10-day contract as a hardship exemption.  He only appeared in one Game, scored 2 Points in 2 Minutes, but joined Dirk Nowitzki as the only players to score at the age of 20 and 40 for the same team.  Considering, he only played 49 Games in total for the Celtics, it is a fascinating statistic, isn’t it?

Still, With Johnson, we have the definition of a borderline candidate.  Despite the seven All-Stars, we have a player who only twice received MVP votes and was no higher than 12^th.  Johnson never won a championship at any level.  This will be interesting.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 Atlanta Hawks.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Atlanta continued their middle-of-the-road performance, neither dazzling nor toiling in the basement.  There were no new entrants but there were three elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Bob Pettit

2. Dominique Wilkins

3. Cliff Hagan

4. John Drew

5. Mookie Blaylock

You can find the entire list here.

Two-Time All-Star, Trae Young, advanced to #15 from #21.

Power Forward, John Collins, who is now with Utah, climbed one spot to #24.

Rebounding machine, Clint Capela, advanced from #41 to #30.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2021/22 revision of our top Atlanta Hawks.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Atlanta returned to the playoffs, but they were not the same team that made the Eastern Conference Finals the year before.  The impact of 2021-22 yielded two elevations and one new entrant.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Bob Pettit

2. Dominique Wilkins

3. Cliff Hagen

4. John Drew

5. Mookie Blaylock

You can find the entire list here.

Trae Young, the two-time All-Star, moved up to #21 from #29.

Power Forward, John Collins, advanced from #28 to #25.

The lone new entrant is Swiss Center, Clint Capela, who debits at #41.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Before he was traded to Atlanta in 2020, Swiss-born Center Clint Capela had already proved himself for years as a rebounding machine with the Houston Rockets, but his best was yet to come.

Capela had his best rebounding season in his debut campaign in the ATL, leading the NBA in Offensive (17.5) and Defensive (34.3) Rebounding Percentage, while also leading the league in Rebounds per Game (14.3).  Offensively, he was solid with 15.2 Points per Game, and his PER was well over 20.  Capela’s second season was not as good, but he again averaged a double-double (11.1 PTS & 11.9 RB) with a PER over 20, and in 2022-23, he produced much of the same with 12 Points and 11 Rebounds per Game.  In 2023-24, Capela's stats were down, but over his 73 Games, he still had a double-double average (11.5 PTS & 10.6 RB).

After one more season, Capela was part of a staffering seven-team trade in the 2025 off-season that saw him return to Houston after 330 Games over five seasons.

Pre-2022-23 Rank: #49, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #48.

Peak Period: From 2018-19 to 2023-24.  Young has only played six seasons and is this still in his Peak Period.

Trae Young has been one of the better Point Guards over the last six seasons, and the three-time All-Star led Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, but they haven’t come close since, and Young has been pegged as inconsistent.  As he was a straight-up draft day trade for Luka Doncic, it is impossible to separate the two, and a change of scenery might help Young more than any other player in basketball.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021-22 revision of our top 50 Atlanta Hawks

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NBA. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note, that this is our first revision in three years, and as such, there are two significant debuts, that would not be so drastic had we did these the last two years.

As always, we present our top five immediately, though nothing has changed in this upper-tier.

1. Bob Pettit

2. Dominique Wilkins

3. Cliff Hagan

4. John Drew

5. Mookie Blaylock

You can find the entire list here.

The two new entries are stars of the past few years, and led Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Power Forward and four-year veteran, John Collins enters at #28, and star three-year Guard, Trae Young, debuts at #29.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

At the 2018 Draft, the most significant moment was when the Dallas Mavericks traded Trae Young to Atlanta for Luka Doncic, players both teams had just drafted and were both hopeful had landed the man who would take them to the promised land.  With the two linked together in perpetuity, Young will always be compared to Doncic, which may not be fair, but Young showed his share of scoring skills

Young was an immediate star, earning First Team All-Rookie honors with a 19.1 PPG and 8.1 APG.  There was no sophomore slump for the Point Guard, who went to his first All-Star Game and increased his production to 29.6 Points and 9.4 Assists per Game, with his PER rocketing to 23.9.  2020/21 saw Young’s numbers slightly decrease, but he had more help and brought the Hawks to an Eastern Conference Final.  2021/22 was a disappointing year for the Hawks, as they regressed overall, but Young was outstanding, returning to the All-Star Game on his way to a 28.4 PPG season and a career-high PER of 25.4.  

In 2022-23, Young was not able to make the All-Star Game, but still led the Hawks to the playoffs and averaged 26.2 PPG, the fourth year in a row he had averaged over 25 Points per Game.  Last season, Young did make the All-Star (albeit as a replacement) and again averaged over 25 Points per Game (25.7).  Last season, Young persevered and earned his first statistical title, leading the NBA with 11.6 Assists per Game.

Young's future with the Hawks might be on shaky ground, but the potent scorer can still carry Atlanta and steal wins.  

John Collins showed tremendous progress at Wake Forest, so much so that he earned a First Round Pick (19^th Overall) in 2017 by Atlanta.

The Power Forward was a Second Team All-Rookie Selection, starting 26 of his 74 Games, and averaging 10.5 Points per Game.  He shot that number up to 19.5 points as a sophomore and was now in the starting five.  Collins continued his upward trajectory, posting a PER over 20 over three years in a row (2018-19 to 2020-21)

Collins was less featured in his last two seasons, and his PPG in 2022-23 (13.1) was his lowest since his rookie year.  The Hawks traded Collins to Utah in 2023, thus ending his run with Atlanta.

Always onward and upward for us here at Notinhalloffame.com!

We are ready to unveil a new Top 50, and once again it comes from the hardwood.  It is the Top 50 of the Atlanta Hawks.

The franchise began in Buffalo in 1946 as the Bisons in the NBL, though they were only there for a month relocating to Moline, Illinois where they were rechristened the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and would be part of the merger of the NBL and NBA in 1949. 

The team would relocate to Milwaukee in in 1951 upon the realization that Moline was too small to support the team.  Now named the Milwaukee Hawks, the franchise stayed there for only four years, but it do one major thing of note; it drafted Bob Pettit. 

The last half of the 1950’s and early 1960’s were the best in franchise history.  Now relocated to St. Louis, the Pettit led Hawks went to four NBA Finals (1957, 1958, 1960 & 1961) and would win the NBA Title in ’58, which to date is the only title the team has won.  The Hawks continued to b good through the 60’s, but despite the solid crowds, the ownership sought a bigger facility, which the city of St. Louis was not willing to provide.

Relocating to Atlanta in 1968, the Hawks have yet to make the Finals since their relocation despite multiple trips to the playoffs.  Currently, they have the second longest drought of not winning the NBA Title, though this does not mean that this list does not include some excellent players.

The entire list can be found here but for those who want a sneak peak, the top five are:


1. Bob Pettit

2. Dominique Wilkins

3. Cliff Hagen

4. John Drew

5. Lou Hudson


This list takes into account traditional statistics, advanced metrics and playoff performance.

It is up to the end of the 2015-16 Season.

We will be continuing our ongoing process of Top 50 teams with a return to the diamond, the Milwaukee Brewers.

As always, we thank you for your support!

A future NBA Champion and All-Star with the Boston Celtics, Paul Silas began his first five seasons in the NBA with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks.  Silas would eventually become a regular double double player, but the first time he averaged that in a career was with the Hawks.

An Atlanta Hawk for the first five years of his NBA career, Randy Wittman would have three consecutive seasons where he scored over 10 Points per Game.  Although he was a Shooting Guard, he lacked a wide range, and his three-point shooting was abysmal.  On the positive side of the ledger, Wittman averaged 13.9 PPG in the playoffs, a notable increase from his regular season numbers and he would finish in the top ten in Turnover Percentage twice.

The longest stretch of Tom McMillen’s career was six seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. The Center from the University of Maryland had a pair of 9.9 Points per Game scoring seasons, while mainly used in a key bench role.  McMillen would later become a U.S. Congressman.

Herm Gilliam played four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, all of which saw him score over 10 Points per Game in a season.  In two of those campaigns, he hit the 14 PPG mark and was known as a decent distributor of the rock.  Gilliam would finish his career winning a championship with the Portland Trail Blazers.

By the time Slater Martin arrived in Milwaukee, he had already won four Championships with the Minneapolis Lakers and had gone to four All-Star Games.  Martin brought that winning pedigree to the Hawks and was their starting Point Guard when they won what is to date their only NBA Championship.  He would also earn three Second Team All-Star Martin and go to three more All-Star Games.  While Slater may seem ranked very low, his advanced stats show a sub-10 PER and only 1.1 Win Offensive Win Shares as a Hawk.

Martin, primarily based on his work in Minneapolis, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

The starting Power Forward for two seasons for Atlanta, Grant Long, was known for his good defensive skills but still produced solid offense with two seasons over 11 Points per Game.  Long would come back for a second run, albeit in a reserve role, but still had a respectable 9.8 PPG in his one-season return.

A member of the Atlanta Hawks for eight seasons, Georgia-born (the country, not the state), Zaza Pachulia would enjoy the best stints of his career in Atlanta.  The Center would enjoy two seasons scoring over 10 Points per Season, even though he was primarily used off the bench.