Top 50 Atlanta Hawks
You would think there would be a richer history for the Atlanta Hawks, but other than a championship in a previous city (St. Louis), the Hawks' postseason success has not been illustrious, though it has been long.Formed in 1946 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in the National Basketball League, the Hawks would join the NBA in 1949 as part of the two leagues' merger. The team would relocate to Milwaukee in 1951, dropping the “Black” from the name and simply becoming the “Hawks”. The stay in Milwaukee would only last four years, as the team would again relocate, this time to St. Louis, where they would have their greatest success.
Led by Bob Pettit, the St. Louis Hawks would go to the NBA Finals (1957, 1958, 1960 & 1961) and would win one of those ( '58). To date, this is the only championship that the Hawks have won, and by far the best period of the organization’s existence.
Unable to secure a decent arena, the Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1965, where they have been home since. They have also not been to the NBA Finals since their move to the Peach State.
They have had some excellent players in Atlanta (Dominique Wilkins, of course), but they currently hold the second-longest championship drought (behind the Sacramento Kings).
This list is up to the end of the 2024/25 season.
Note: Basketball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics and post-season accolades.
With the distinction of being the first player in history to win an Olympic Gold Medal, NCAA Championship, and an NBA Championship, Clyde Lovellette certainly brought a winning attitude to the St. Louis Hawks. Lovellette may not have won a title in St. Louis, but the big man’s versatility and scoring touch were certainly welcome to the Hawks. Only with St. Louis for four seasons, Lovellette would average over 20 Points per Game in three…
An All-Star in 1998, Steve Smith was highly regarded for his excellent shooting skills, especially from behind the arc. Smith would post two consecutive seasons with Atlanta, where he averaged 20.1 Points per Game. For much of his Atlanta tenure, Smith was regarded as the team's primary option, and while he could not lead Atlanta deep into the playoffs, he always brought them there.
While “Pistol” Pete Maravich is best known for what he did in the State of Louisiana, both with the New Orleans Jazz and LSU, it should be remembered that the first four seasons prossionnally were spent professio with the Atlanta Hawks.
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,…
John Collins showed tremendous progress at Wake Forest, so much so that he earned a First Round Pick (19th 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…
Jeff Teague was a member of the Atlanta Hawks for the first seven years of his NBA career, and in the 2014-15 season, he was named to his first All-Star Game. Teague was drafted in the middle of the 2009 First Round draft from Wake Forest, and the crafty Point Guard would score over 14 Points per Game four times.
Jason Terry would later win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2009) and a Championship with the Dallas Mavericks, but it was with the Atlanta Hawks where he first cut his teeth in professional basketball. Terry was drafted 10th overall in 1999 and quickly became a feared shooter in the league. While he would receive more accolades in Dallas, Terry’s best scoring season was with Atlanta (19.7 PPG), and aside from his rookie season,…
“Jumping” Joe Caldwell would spend the majority of his professional career with the Hawks, both in St. Louis and in Atlanta. Always a good scorer, Caldwell had a solid defensive presence and was named to two All-Star Games following the team’s relocation to Atlanta, along with a Second Team Defensive Selection. Caldwell would leave Atlanta for the ABA after posting a 21.2 PPG season for the Hawks.
There is no doubt that Moses Malone is a legend in the world of basketball, but when you think of Malone, it is not the Atlanta Hawks that you think of. While that is not necessarily the wrong thought process, Malone did have three decent seasons in Atlanta, the first of which was an All-Star one. Two of his three years in Atlanta were double-double campaigns, both with PERs over 20.
Mel Hutchins was with the Hawks for only two seasons, but those first two campaigns in the National Basketball Association were incredible.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim was a better player than he really got credit for, but when you always play for bad teams, it is easy to forget you. Abdur-Rahim actually holds the distinction of playing the most games in his career (Vancouver, Atlanta, Portland, and Sacramento) before finally participating in the playoffs.
Spending the first third of his fifteen-year NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, Stacey Augmon’s five years in the “ATL” were by far his best. Augmon was the ninth overall Draft Pick in 1991 and the man they dubbed “The Plastic Man” would have five consecutive seasons where he eclipsed 12 points per Game.
A member of the Atlanta Hawks for six and a half seasons, Steve Hawes would average an even 10 Points per Game during his tenure in the ATL. Hawes may not have put up the blocking numbers you want from a big man, but he did have efficient shooting and rebounding, which did not earn him the respect he probably should have received.
While the highlight of Cliff Levingston arguably was the two championships he would win late in his career with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, there is no question that the prime of his career was the six seasons he spent in Atlanta.
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…
A lot of people were concerned when the Atlanta Hawks drafted 2nd overall in 2005, as though he had high potential, but he was only the sixth man on the NCAA Champion North Carolina Tar Heels. As it turned out, Williams had a good career in the NBA (not 2nd Pick overall worthy) and played for the Hawks for 7 years, predominantly at Small Forward. Except for his rookie season, Williams would always finish a…
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame mostly for what he did with the New York Knicks, Richie Guerin was with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks for six seasons, five of which he served as a Player/Coach. Guerin was not the player he was when he was a Knick, but he was there to help in a dual role. Guerin would still average 13.0 Points per Game. Interestingly enough, he had been drafted by the…
A member of the Atlanta Hawks for 332 Games, Kyle Korver was a bit of a surprising All Star choice in 2015, but he was so respected for his long range shooting for years that it was not that strange of a selection. The Shooting Guard would lead the NBA in Three Point Fielding Percentage twice as a Hawk (and once in the season he was traded to Cleveland) and he was also a two…
Did Jon Koncak live up to what you want from a 5th overall pick? He didn’t, but you can’t leave off a player with 717 career games for a franchise, half of them as a starting Center. The man called “Jon Contract” because he received a hefty contract for a player who was not a full-time starter, did, however, put up a solid defensive presence. Still, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear some people upset…
Josh Childress spent his first four seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, often serving as the team’s sixth man, a role in which he performed very well. Despite being used predominantly off the bench, Childress would still average over 30 Minutes per Game as a Hawk and never had a season with fewer than Points per Game. Childress would shock Atlanta — and, really, the entire NBA — when he left the team…