Atlanta Hawks: Ranking The Best Players By Position In Team History

The Atlanta Hawks have been in their city since 1968, but it was a long, winding road to get there. The team traces its roots to 1946 and the old National Basketball League, where it was born as the Buffalo Bisons. The Bisons, though, lasted just 13 games before owner Ben Kerner uprooted the team and moved it to—of all places—Moline, Ill., and renamed it the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. They played their home games in Moline’s Wharton Fieldhouse, for the most part, but also represented Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport, Iowa.

In 1949, the Blackhawks were one of five teams from the NBL to merge with the Basketball Association of America and form the National Basketball Association, but they are the only one of the five latecomers from the NBL—the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals and Syracuse Nationals has all made the jump earlier—to last more than just the one season.

The team lasted two NBA campaigns in Moline before leaving for Milwaukee in 1951 and shortening the nickname to simply “Hawks.” After four forgettable seasons in Wisconsin, Lerner again uprooted the team, this time taking it to St. Louis.

It was in St. Louis that the franchise enjoyed its greatest success, reaching four NBA Finals in five seasons and winning the championship, the lone title in franchise history,

After 13 years and 12 playoff appearances in St. Louis, Kerner wasn’t happy about the arena situation. The Hawks played most of their games in the ancient Kiel Auditorium, which seated only 10,000, and played some games at the St. Louis Arena, a larger building that had been falling into disrepair since hte 1940s. Unable to get a new building, Kerner sold the Hawks to Atlanta real estate developer Tom Cousins and former Georgia governor Carl Sanders, who moved to the team to Atlanta for the 1968-69 season.

In 64 NBA seasons, the franchise has 42 playoff appearances but just the one title and hasn’t been back to the Finals since the St. Louis Hawks were there in 1961. The Hawks have made the postseason in each of the last six seasons following a franchise-record eight-year playoff drought, but playoff success has been elusive in Atlanta.

The Hawks reached the Western Division Finals in each of their first two seasons in Georgia, but haven’t advanced past the conference semifinals since 1970. Richie Guerin, who was the coach of the team when it moved from St. Louis to Atlanta, is still the franchise’s winningest coach with 327 victories. Other notable coaches for the Hawks include Mike Fratello, Lenny Wilkens, Hubie Brown, Cotton Fitzsimmons and a pair of Hall of Fame coaches who briefly graced the sidelines for the franchise, Red Auerbach (part of the 1949-50 season) and Red Holzman (who went 83-120 in parts of four seasons in the mid-1950s).

So who are the best players by position in the history of the Atlanta Hawks franchise?

NOTE: Players must have appeared in 250 regular-season games with the franchise to be considered for this list.

Small Forward: Dominique Wilkins (1982-94)

Dominique Wilkins is the leading scorer in the history of the Atlanta Hawks’ franchise.

For more than a decade, “The Human Highlight Reel” was the face of the Hawks after coming to Atlanta in a trade with the Utah Jazz in exchange for John Drew and Freeman Williams in September 1982, less than three months after Utah made the former Georgia standout the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

It worked out well for the Hawks. Wilkins was a nine-time All-Star for Atlanta and a seven-time All-NBA selection, including first-team honors in 1985-86. That was the same year Wilkins led the NBA in scoring with a 30.3 points per game average, the last player not named “Michael Jordan” to lead the league in scoring until His Airness’ first retirement in 1993.

In parts of 12 seasons with the Hawks, Wilkins averaged 26.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

He is the franchise’s career leader with 23,292 points and 882 games and is also second with 1,245 steals, fourth with 6,119 rebounds, fifth with 500 3-pointers, sixth with 588 blocked shots and seventh with 2,321 assists. He is also the franchise’s career-leader with 26.4 points per game and his 30.5 usage percentage is also the highest for the franchise. Wilkins also holds the franchise single-season record with a 35.2 usage percentage in 1987-88.

Here are some of Wilkins’ highlights with the Hawks:

In February 1994, Wilkins was traded with a 1994 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Manning and later played for the Boston Celtics before leaving to play in Greece in 1995. He returned to the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, went back to Europe—this time Italy—and came back to the NBA for one last go with the Orlando Magic after the 1999 lockout, opting to retire when Orlando waived him in June of that year. Wilkins was also a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion (1985 and 1990). He has been the Atlanta’s vice president of basketball since 2004 and is a color analyst on Hawks’ broadcasts. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Apologies to: John Drew, Cliff Hagan, Lou Hudson, Josh Childress.

Power Forward: Bob Pettit (1954-65)

Bob Pettit was an All-Star and an All-NBA selection in each of his 11 seasons with the Milwaukee and St. Louis Hawks.

The Milwaukee Hawks took LSU big man Bob Pettit with the second pick in the 1954 NBA Draft and found a player who would be the franchise’s leading man for the next decade.

Pettit was an All-Star in each of his 11 seasons, was named NBA Most Valuable Player in 1956 and 1959 and won a record four All-Star Game MVPs (later matched by Kobe Bryant). He was also named to the All-NBA team in each of his 11 seasons, including 10 first-team nods. He was a two-time scoring champion (1955-56 and 1958-59), led the NBA in total rebounds in 1955-56 and posted the highest player efficiency rating in the league for four consecutive seasons (1955-56 through 1958-59). And, of course, he was the leader of St. Louis’ run to the 1958 title, averaging 24.2 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs.

Pettit played his entire career for the Hawks, one season in Milwaukee and the final 10 in St. Louis, and averaged 26.4 points, 16.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

He is the franchise’s career leader with 12,849 rebounds and is also second with 20,880 points, third with 792 games played and sixth with 2,369 assists. His 16.2 rebounds per game average is the franchise’s best and he is second with 26.4 points per game. His 25.3 career PER is No. 1 in franchise annals, as is his .213 win shares per 48 minutes. Pettit also holds single-season marks with a 28.2 PER in 1958-59, 1,540 rebounds and 20.3 rebounds per game in 1960-61, 2,429 points, 31.1 points per game and 42.1 minutes per game in 1961-62.

One of Pettit’s most memorable games was his 50-point outburst against the Boston Celtics in St. Louis’ championship-clinching win in Game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals:

After retiring in 1965, Pettit entered the banking sector and never looked back, although he did briefly broadcast Southeastern Conference basketball games in the 1970s. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.

Apologies to: Dan Roundfield, Josh Smith, Kevin Willis, Bill Bridges.

Center: Dikembe Mutombo (1996-2001)

Dikembe Mutombo blocked more shots per game than anyone in the history of the Atlanta Hawks’ franchise.

Dikembe Mutombo came to the Atlanta Hawks in July 1996 as a free agent after playing his first five years with the Denver Nuggets.

Mutombo anchored the defensive end for a Hawks team that was good enough to make the playoffs, but never quite good enough to get past the first two rounds, in the late 1990s. He was a four-time All-Star with Atlanta and was named All-NBA in 1997-98. He was also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year with the Hawks and a three-time All-Defensive selection. He also won the DPOY in 2000-01, a season he began with Atlanta before being traded. He led the NBA in rebounding in 1999-2000, in total rebounds three times (1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000) with Atlanta and in total blocked shots twice (1996-97 and 1997-98). It was on those blocked shots that Mutombo developed his signature move, a finger waggle as if to tell opposing shooter, “No, no. Not in here you don’t.”

In parts of five seasons in Atlanta, Mutombo averaged 11.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per game.

Mutombo is third on the franchise’s all-time list with 1,094 blocked shots. He is also the franchise’s all-time leader with 3.2 blocks per game and is also third with 12.6 rebounds per game, fourth with a 52.9 field-goal percentage and 10th with 36.2 minutes per game. His 28.2 defensive rebound percentage and 20.0 total rebound percentage are franchise bests, as is his 97.8 defensive rating. He holds single-season club records with 6.6 defensive win shares in 1996-97, a 92.3 defensive rating in 1998-99, 853 defensive rebounds in 1999-2000 and a 33.0 defensive rebounding percentage in 2000-01.

Here are some highlights from Mutombo’s 1997-98 campaign with the Hawks:

Mutombo was traded in February 2001 with Roshown McLeod to the Philadelphia 76ers for Toni Kukoc, Nazr Mohammed, Theo Ratliff and Pepe Sanchez and later played for the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets before retiring after the 2008-09 season. Since leaving the NBA, Mutombo has become well known for his humanitarian work through the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which he started in 1997 with the goal of improving living conditions in his native Democratic Republic of Congo. The Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, named after his late mother, was opened on the outskirts of his hometown, the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, in 2007.

Apologies to: Al Horford, Zelmo Beaty, Walt Bellamy, Tree Rollins.

Shooting Guard: Pete Maravich (1970-74)

Pete Maravich was an All-NBA selection for the Atlanta Hawks before being dealt to the expansion New Orleans Jazz in 1974.

After setting scoring records at LSU that still stand today, including his 44.2 points per game career average and his 3,667 career points—set in three seasons at a time when freshmen were ineligible to play varsity competition, the Atlanta Hawks took Pete Maravich third overall in the 1970 NBA Draft.

“Pistol” did things with the basketball that few before or since have done on his way to earning two All-Star berths for Atlanta and making the All-NBA team in 1972-73.

In four years with the Hawks, Maravich averaged 24.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.

Maravich’s 24.3 points per game average is third in franchise history and he is also fourth with 5.6 assists per game and sixth with 37.2 minutes per game.

Here are some highlights of Maravich’s career:

In May 1974, Maravich was dealt to the expansion New Orleans Jazz in exchange for Bob Kauffman, Dean Meminger, first-round picks in 1974 and 1975, second-round picks in 1975 and 1976 and a third-round pick in 1980. Maravich also played briefly for the Boston Celtics before retiring after the 1979-80 season because of chronic knee problems. After the NBA, Maravich wrote in his 1987 autobiography that he was “searching for life.” He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 and died suddenly in January 1988 of heart failure at the age of 40. It was later learned he had a rare congenital defect in his heart; he had been born without a left coronary artery and, thus, the right coronary artery was grossly enlarged to compensate. Maravich’s premature death and the mystique surrounding his collegiate exploits and flashy style of play make memorabilia associated with him among the most highly prized collectibles available.

Apologies to: Joe Johnson, Steve Smith, Eddie Johnson, Stacey Augmon.

Point Guard: Mookie Blaylock (1992-99)

Mookie Blaylock was an All-Star and a six-time All-Defensive selection for the Atlanta Hawks in the 1990s.

Mookie Blaylock established himself as a solid NBA point guard with the New Jersey Nets in his first three seasons, but after the Atlanta Hawks acquired Blaylock with Roy Hinson from the Nets in exchange for Rumeal Robinson in November 1992, his career took off.

Blaylock was an All-Star in 1994 and was named to the All-Defensive team six times as a Hawk. He led the NBA in steals in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

In seven seasons with Atlanta, Blaylock averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals and was a willing shooter from deep, shooting 34.7 percent on 5.8 3-point attempts per game in Atlanta.

Blaylock is the franchise’s career leader with 1,321 steals and 1,050 3-pointers and is also second with 3,764 assists. His 7.3 assists per game and 2.6 steals per game are tops in team history and he is also seventh with 37.1 minutes per game. His 32.1 assist percentage and 3.6 steal percentage are also franchise bests.

Here are some highlights from Blaylock’s time in Atlanta:

In June 1999, Blaylock was traded with a 1999 first-round pick to the Golden State Warriors for Bimbo Coles and a 1999 first-round pick. He retired after the 2001-02 season and earned a place in pop culture lore when the band Pearl Jam originally named the group “Mookie Blaylock” before being forced to change it. However, they named their debut album “Ten” after Blaylock’s jersey number. In May, Blaylock was involved in a head-on collision in Georgia that resulted in the death of a passenger in the other vehicle and investigators allege Blaylock’s vehicle was traveling in the wrong lane at the time of the crash. He is charged with vehicular homicide and driving on a suspended license. He was initially on life support after the incident.

Apologies to: Doc Rivers, Jason Terry, Lenny Wilkens, Herm Gilliam.