Atlanta Hawks: 25 Best Players To Play For The Hawks
By Phil Watson
PF. 1963-71. Bill Bridges. 19. player. 125. <strong>How acquired:</strong> Trade, Chicago Packers, June 14, 1962.
The St. Louis Hawks acquired the rights to Bill Bridges from the Chicago Packers along with Ralph Davis in June 1962 in exchange for Al Ferrari and Shellie McMillon.
The problem was that Bridges was playing somewhere else, having signed with the Kansas City Steers of the rival American Basketball League.
That issue took care of itself when the ABL folded on New Year’s Eve in 1962. Eight days later, Bridges signed with the Hawks and became a key member of the club for much of the next decade.
He was a three-time All-Star and a two-time All-Defensive selection, finishing fourth in the NBA in rebounding in 1969-70 and fifth in 1966-67.
In November 1971, Bridges was traded by the Hawks–by this time in Atlanta–to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jim Washington.
In parts of 10 seasons in St. Louis and Atlanta, Bridges averaged 12.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 69.3 percent at the line.
Bridges averaged 16.1 points and 14.1 rebounds per game as a senior at Kansas and was a third-round pick, 32nd overall, by the Packers in the 1961 NBA draft before signing with Kansas City in the ABL.
In November 1972, Bridges was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and was waived in December 1974.
In March 1975, he signed with the Golden State Warriors and was part of their championship team that season.
He retired following the NBA Finals in 1975.
Bridges is 28th in NBA history with 11,054 rebounds and 17th with an average of 11.9 rebounds per game.
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