St. Louis Hawks
St. Louis Hawks: 1958 NBA Champions.
The St. Louis Hawks were an American professional basketball team based in St. Louis. The Hawks competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division. The team played its home games at Kiel Auditorium.
Quick Facts
- Conference
- Eastern
- Division
- Southeast
- Founded
- 1946
- Arena
- State Farm Arena
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Sponsor
- Paze
- Owner
- Tony Ressler
- Coach
- Quin Snyder
Lore & Background
The Hawks moved to St. Louis in 1955, becoming the St. Louis Hawks. In 1956, Bob Pettit captured the league's first official Most Valuable Player award. The Hawks drafted Bill Russell in the first round in 1956 but traded him to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. In 1957, the Hawks won the Western Division title and advanced to the NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics in a double-overtime game seven. In 1958, they won their first and only NBA championship, defeating the Celtics 4–2; Bob Pettit scored 50 points in the final game. The Hawks returned to the NBA Finals in 1960 and 1961, losing to the Celtics both times. The franchise moved to Atlanta on May 3, 1968.
Reader's Guide
The St. Louis Hawks won one NBA championship (1958) and appeared in the NBA Finals four times (1957, 1958, 1960, 1961), all against the Boston Celtics. Bob Pettit won two MVP awards (1956 and 1959). The team was sold to Thomas Cousins and Carl Sanders in 1968 and moved to Atlanta.
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