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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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College Basketball: Blur view of St. Louis Hawks Cliff Hagan (16), Ed Macauley (20), and Med Park (17) in action vs New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. New York, NY 2/4/1958 CREDIT: John G. Zimmerman (Photo by John G. Zimmerman /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X5000 )
College Basketball: Blur view of St. Louis Hawks Cliff Hagan (16), Ed Macauley (20), and Med Park (17) in action vs New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. New York, NY 2/4/1958 CREDIT: John G. Zimmerman (Photo by John G. Zimmerman /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X5000 ) /

<strong>How acquired:</strong> Trade, Boston Celtics, April 30, 1956.. C-PF. 1956-59. Ed Macauley. 24. player. 125

The St. Louis Hawks nearly had one of the NBA’s all-time greats.

But on draft day in April 1956, the Hawks opted to acquire six-time All-Star Ed Macauley and the rights to 1953 third-round pick Cliff Hagan from the Boston Celtics in exchange for the rights to second overall selection Bill Russell.

That isn’t to say Macauley didn’t contribute. An All-Star in 1957, Macauley helped the Hawks to two NBA Finals and their lone championship.

In the 1957 NBA Finals against Russell and Boston, Macauley averaged 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and two assists in 28.4 minutes per game, shooting 43.4 percent from the floor and 70.4 percent at the line in the seven-game loss.

When the Hawks beat the Celtics in six games in the 1958 NBA Finals, Macauley played a smaller role, averaging 5.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.8 minutes per game on 34.5 percent shooting from the field while going 15-for-18 from the line.

He retired as a player in June 1959 after being named coach of the Hawks in November 1958.

In three seasons in St. Louis, Macauley averaged 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.7 minutes per game, shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and 73.3 percent at the line. He does not appear on any of the franchise’s all-time leaderboards.

Macauley was a two-time All-American at Saint Louis University, averaging 15.5 points per game as a senior.

The St. Louis Bombers gave up their first-round pick in the 1949 Basketball Association of America Draft to take Macauley as a territorial selection.

He was chosen by the Celtics in a dispersal draft after the Bombers folded in April 1950.

He was a six-time All-Star in Boston and a four-time All-NBA selection, finishing third in the NBA in scoring three times and fourth once and leading the league in field-goal percentage in 1952-53 and 1953-54, finishing second in 1960-61 and third in 1951-52.

Macauley was second in the NBA in minutes per game in 1952-53 and fourth in 1953-54.

As coach of the Hawks, Macauley was 89-48 in parts of two seasons and 9-11 in the playoffs, leading St. Louis to the 1960 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Celtics in seven games. He was removed from his coaching duties in April 1960.

Macauley was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960, the youngest male ever enshrined at age 32. He died in St. Louis on Nov. 8, 2011, at the age of 83.

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