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Atlanta Hawks: 25 Best Players To Play For The Hawks

By Phil Watson

May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of t-shirts on the seats prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of t-shirts on the seats prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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BOSTON, MA - CIRCA 1960's: Bill Russell #6 of the Boston Celtics grabs a rebound over Zelmo Beaty #31 of the St. Louis Hawks during a mid circa 1960's NBA basketball game at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Russell played for the Celtics from 1956-69. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – CIRCA 1960’s: Bill Russell #6 of the Boston Celtics grabs a rebound over Zelmo Beaty #31 of the St. Louis Hawks during a mid circa 1960’s NBA basketball game at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Russell played for the Celtics from 1956-69. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

13. player. 125. <strong>How acquired:</strong> 3rd overall pick from Prairie View A&M, 1962 NBA Draft.. C. 1962-69. Zelmo Beaty

Zelmo Beaty attracted attention as a small-college star at Prairie View A&M and the St. Louis Hawks took the 6-foot-9 big man with the third overall pick in the 1962 NBA Draft.

He fit in well, earning All-Rookie honors in 1962-63 and going on to be named an All-Star twice for the Hawks.

ATL_13_BEATY
ATL_13_BEATY /

But in October 1969, Beaty signed a future deal with the ABA’s Los Angeles Stars that would begin in 1970.

In seven seasons in St. Louis and Atlanta, Beaty averaged 17.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 34.2 minutes per game, shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 74.8 percent at the line.

He is sixth in franchise history with 5,622 rebounds and an average of 11.2 rebounds per game and 10th with 8,727 points.

After sitting out a season because of an injunction that barred him from jumping to the ABA for a year, Beaty was a three-time ABA All-Star and a two-time All-ABA selection for the Stars–by this time in Utah, helping the team to the 1971 ABA title.

In February 1970, however, the Hawks had traded Beaty’s rights to the San Francisco Warriors in exchange for a first-round pick in 1970 and future considerations.

Ready to return to the NBA in 1974, the Hawks acquired Clyde Lee from Golden State as the player to be named later in September 1974, the same day the Warriors traded Beaty to the Los Angeles Lakers.

He retired after the 1974-75 season and coached the ABA’s Virginia Squires to close out the 1975-76 season, posting a 9-33 record before the franchise folded in May 1976.

Beaty is 35th in NBA history with an average of 10.4 rebounds per game as well as fourth in ABA history with a field goal percentage of .536 and eighth with an average of 11.6 rebounds per game. He died from cancer at his home in Bellevue, Wash., on Aug. 27, 2013, at the age of 73.

Next: Lefty Ran The Show In The ‘60s

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