Atlanta Hawks

Lore & Background

The team's origins can be traced to the establishment of the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 in Buffalo, New York, a member of the National Basketball League (NBL) owned by Ben Kerner and Leo Ferris. After 38 days in Buffalo, the team moved to Moline, Illinois, where they were renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. In 1949, they joined the NBA as part of the merger between the NBL and the Basketball Association of America (BAA), and briefly had Red Auerbach as coach. In 1951, Kerner moved the team to Milwaukee, where they changed their name to the Milwaukee Hawks. Kerner and the team moved again in 1955 to St. Louis, where as the St. Louis Hawks they won their first (and thus far only) NBA Championship in 1958 and qualified to play in the NBA Finals in 1957, 1960 and 1961. The Hawks played the Boston Celtics in all four of their trips to the NBA Finals. The Hawks moved to Atlanta on May 3, 1968 and became the Atlanta Hawks, when Kerner sold the franchise to Thomas Cousins and former Georgia governor Carl Sanders. The ownership of the team includes billionaire James Cox Chambers.

In Their Own Story

The playoff series against the Boston Celtics defined the season's conclusion. The Hawks reached the postseason by securing a spot on April 16 with a decisive 109–87 victory over the Toronto Raptors. However, their first-round matchup against Boston proved insurmountable, resulting in a six-game loss that eliminated Atlanta from contention. Tensions flared during this series beyond the court; following the Game 6 loss to the Celtics, Ivan Johnson was fined $25,000 for making an obscene gesture toward a fan. Additionally, Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. received a $35,000 fine for comments directed at Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and officials during the series. While Rajon Rondo, Kevin Durant, and teammate Jerry Stackhouse replaced the injured Johnson in All-Star competitions, the on-court battle against Boston remained the season's final turning point.

Reader's Guide

The Hawks currently own the second-longest drought (behind the Sacramento Kings) of not winning an NBA championship at 67 seasons. The franchise's lone NBA championship, as well as all four NBA Finals appearances, occurred when the team was based in St. Louis. Meanwhile, they went 48 years without advancing past the second round of the playoffs in any format, until finally breaking through in 2015. The Hawks are one of only four NBA teams that have qualified to play in the NBA playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons in the 21st century. They achieved this feat between 2008 and 2017. In the 2024 NBA draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, their first since 1975.

Did You Know?

• The Hawks' origins trace back to the Buffalo Bisons, which lasted only 38 days in Buffalo before moving to Moline, Illinois.
• The Hawks won their only NBA championship in 1958 as the St. Louis Hawks, defeating the Boston Celtics 4–2.
• Bob Pettit scored 50 points in the final game of the 1958 NBA Finals to secure the championship.
• The Hawks drafted Bill Russell in 1956 but traded him to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley.