The NBA Draft has produced mixed results for the Atlanta Hawks during their 68 seasons in the NBA. Let’s examine the most prominent players the team has ever selected on draft night.
For a franchise with a rich 68-year history in the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks have a checkered history in the NBA Draft.
Two of the most vital players during the Celtics’ glory years in the 1950s and 1960s — Hall-of-Famers Bob Cousy and Bill Russell — were actually drafted by the Hawks, but neither played a single game for the organization prior to being acquired by Boston.
Other players that went on to have impressive careers elsewhere in the league, including David Thompson, Arvydas Sabonis and Pau Gasol, were all selected by the Hawks as well.
The franchise has been as well traveled as many of the players it has selected in the draft. After forming in 1946 in Buffalo as part of the National Basketball League, the team moved to Illinois after just 38 days to become the Tricity Blackhawks.
Five years later, the franchise was once again moved, this time to Milwaukee as it adopted the moniker of the Hawks. The team lasted just four seasons in Wisconsin before moving to St. Louis and ultimately wound up in Atlanta in 1968.
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Perhaps the player most synonymous with basketball in Atlanta — Dominique Wilkins — was actually selected by Utah third overall in 1982 and dealt to the Hawks two months before making his NBA debut.
Atlanta has five jersey numbers retired and one for Ted Turner, as he served as team owner from 1977-2001.
With the 19th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Atlanta is hoping for an addition that will help end a 59-year title drought.
Despite all of the turnover with prominent players, the franchise has managed to select plenty of impactful players throughout its history. Here’s a look at the Atlanta Hawks’ top 10 draft picks of all time.
Honorable mentions: Jason Terry, Jeff Teague, Stacey Augmon and Paul Silas