58 Fun Facts About Atlanta Hawks

What name did the Hawks' home arena take in 2018 under a new naming-rights deal?

State Farm Arena. The insurer's name went up when the building reopened in October 2018 after a $192.5 million renovation.

The Hawks franchise began life in 1946 in which city?

Buffalo. The NBL's Bisons needed 3,600 fans a night to break even and drew barely 1,000, so its owners took the club to the Midwest.

What was the Hawks franchise called after moving to Moline, Illinois, from its first home?

Tri-Cities Blackhawks. The trio was Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and Davenport in Iowa, and the name was clipped to Hawks when the club left for Milwaukee in 1951.

About how long did the Hawks franchise last in its first home city before leaving town?

About five weeks. The club lasted 38 days: its general manager announced on Christmas Day 1946 that it was leaving for Illinois, partway through its first season.

Which legendary coach briefly led the Hawks franchise in 1949–50, its first NBA season?

Red Auerbach. He lasted one season before leaving for Boston, where his Celtics went on to beat the Hawks in three NBA Finals.

Which future Celtics great did the Hawks franchise draft in 1950 but fail to sign?

Bob Cousy. He refused to report, his next club folded, and Boston's owner then drew his name out of a hat while hoping for someone else.

In which city did the Hawks win their only NBA championship?

St. Louis. The Hawks lost the 1957 Finals in seven games, then beat the same opponent a year later for the only title the franchise has won.

The Hawks won their lone NBA title a year after losing Game 7 of the Finals in what fashion?

In double overtime. The Hawks lost that 1957 decider 125–123 to Boston, then beat the same team in six games the following spring.

A Hawk scored 47 in Game 7 of a 1988 playoff series yet lost a famous duel to which rival?

Larry Bird. He scored 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, and Boston edged the Hawks 118–116 to take the series.

Which Hawks forward won the NBA's first official Most Valuable Player award in 1956?

Bob Pettit. Cut from his high school team as a freshman and a sophomore, he retired in 1965 as the first NBA player to score 20,000 points.

Which future Hall of Famer did the Hawks draft second in 1956 and immediately trade to Boston?

Bill Russell. The Hawks got two future Hall of Famers in return and won a title with them, but Russell's Celtics beat them in three other Finals.

Which ageing main home arena did owner Ben Kerner tire of before selling the Hawks to Atlanta buyers?

Kiel Auditorium. The hall dated from 1934 and held about 10,000, and Kerner sold up after the city kept refusing his demands for a building of his own.

Which LSU scoring sensation did the Hawks draft third overall in 1970, two years after moving to Atlanta?

Pete Maravich. His $1.9 million contract was by far the richest yet, and the veterans he joined resented it.

On which university's campus did the Hawks play their first four Atlanta seasons?

Georgia Tech. The Hawks borrowed its Alexander Memorial Coliseum while a downtown arena was built, and moved back in 1997 when that arena was torn down.

The Hawks' new arena of 1972 was built to house them and which NHL expansion team?

Atlanta Flames. They shared the building for eight seasons, until the hockey club was sold in 1980 and moved to Calgary, keeping its name.

The Hawks held the first and third picks in 1975, but both signed with which ABA team?

Denver Nuggets. David Thompson and Marvin Webster both chose the ABA club, so Atlanta's two top-three picks never played a game for the Hawks.

Which Atlanta sports owner bought the Hawks in 1977?

Ted Turner. The cable pioneer already owned baseball's Braves, and he promised fans the Hawks would stay in Atlanta.

Which Georgia alumnus and future franchise scoring leader joined the Hawks in 1982?

Dominique Wilkins. Utah drafted him third overall, but he was unwilling to play there, and the Jazz traded him to Atlanta before he played a game.

Because of poor attendance, the Hawks played 12 home games of the 1984–85 season in which city?

New Orleans. The city had been without the NBA since the Jazz left for Utah in 1979, and a promoter paid to stage a dozen Hawks home games there.

Which 5-foot-7 Hawks guard won the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest?

Spud Webb. He beat a Hawks teammate, the defending champion, in the final, and did it in his home town of Dallas.

The Hawks' 'Human Highlight Film' won two Slam Dunk Contests but lost a famous 1988 final to which rival?

Michael Jordan. He won on his home floor in Chicago with a perfect-score dunk from the free-throw line; the Hawk's own titles came in 1985 and 1990.

Which guard, acquired from New Jersey in 1992, was still the Hawks' career steals leader as of 2025?

Mookie Blaylock. Pearl Jam first performed under his name, and called their debut album Ten after his jersey number.

Which Hawks coach became the NBA's all-time leader in coaching wins with victory number 939 in 1994–95?

Lenny Wilkens. He passed the Celtics coach whose record had stood since 1966, with the man himself in the building, and took a few puffs of a cigar in tribute.

Which forward came to Atlanta in the 1994 trade of its all-time top scorer to the Clippers?

Danny Manning. The Hawks had the East's best record when they made the deal, lost in the second round, and then watched him leave as a free agent that summer.

Which former MVP centre signed with the Hawks as a free agent in 1988?

Moses Malone. Atlanta signed him after three straight second-round exits, then went out a round earlier, losing to Milwaukee in the first round in 1989.

Which Spanish star did the Hawks draft third in 2001, then trade to the Grizzlies on draft night?

Pau Gasol. Atlanta wanted Georgia native Shareef Abdur-Rahim in return; Gasol went on to win two NBA titles with the Lakers.

Which All-Star forward played one game for the Hawks in 2004 before being sent to Detroit?

Rasheed Wallace. He scored 20 points in his only Hawks game, was traded again within days, and won the title with the Pistons that June.

The Hawks' league-worst 13 wins in 2004–05 were five fewer than which team managed?

Charlotte Bobcats. The first-year expansion team went 18–64 to Atlanta's 13–69, and the Hawks then lost the draft lottery as well.

The Hawks acquired Joe Johnson in a 2005 sign-and-trade with which team?

Phoenix Suns. Johnson asked the Suns not to match Atlanta's $70 million offer, so Boris Diaw and two first-round picks went the other way.

Which Florida big man did the Hawks select third overall in 2007?

Al Horford. He arrived from back-to-back NCAA titles with the Gators, and the Hawks made the playoffs in each of his nine seasons.

Which point guard, acquired midseason in 2008, sparked the Hawks' first playoff appearance since 1999?

Mike Bibby. Atlanta was 22–28 when he arrived, squeezed into the playoffs at 37–45, and then took the eventual champion Celtics to seven games.

Which coach, hired from the Spurs' staff in 2013, led the Hawks to a franchise-record 60 wins?

Mike Budenholzer. He later won the 2021 title with Milwaukee, knocking out his old team in the conference finals on the way.

In January 2015 the Hawks became the first NBA team to do what?

Go 17–0 in a calendar month. The perfect January carried Atlanta to 60 wins and the East's top seed, its first since 1994.

Which sharpshooter was one of four Hawks named All-Stars during the franchise-best 60–22 season of 2014–15?

Kyle Korver. He made his first All-Star team at 33, called up as a replacement for the injured Dwyane Wade.

Which team swept the top-seeded Hawks in the 2015 Eastern Conference finals?

Cleveland Cavaliers. They swept the 60-win Hawks without the injured Kevin Love, and with Kyrie Irving missing two of the four games.

A group led by which billionaire bought the Hawks in 2015?

Tony Ressler. A year earlier he and former All-Star Grant Hill had bid for the Clippers and lost out to Steve Ballmer's $2 billion offer.

Which Atlanta native signed a three-year, $70 million contract to come home to the Hawks in 2016?

Dwight Howard. The homecoming lasted one season: the eight-time All-Star was traded to the Hornets the following June.

On 2018 draft night the Hawks traded Luka Dončić to Dallas for the rights to which player?

Trae Young. Atlanta also received a future first-round pick, and within three years Young had led the Hawks to the conference finals.

Which player retired with the Hawks in 2020 after a then-record 22 NBA seasons?

Vince Carter. He was the first NBA player to appear in four different decades, and he hit a three-pointer with his final shot at 43.

Which interim coach took over the 14–20 Hawks in March 2021 and led them to the conference finals?

Nate McMillan. The Hawks went 27–11 under him and knocked out the top-seeded 76ers, and he was given the job permanently that summer.

How was the Hawks' star point guard injured in Game 3 of the 2021 conference finals?

Stepping on an official's foot. The bone bruise kept him out of the next two games, and Milwaukee closed out the series in six.

In 2022 the Hawks sent Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks to San Antonio for which point guard?

Dejounte Murray. The price bought only two seasons of the pairing: Atlanta sent him on to the Pelicans in 2024.

Whom did the Hawks take first overall in the 2024 draft, their first No. 1 pick since 1975?

Zaccharie Risacher. Atlanta won the lottery with only a 3 per cent chance, jumping from 10th to first, and took the 19-year-old French forward.

Which guard set a Hawks franchise record with 229 steals in 2024–25 and won Most Improved Player?

Dyson Daniels. Acquired that summer in a trade for an All-Star guard, he led the NBA in steals and was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year.

Which Atlanta place name ran across the chest of the Hawks' 2019–20 City uniform?

Peachtree. The Hawks said the name stands for the streets that link Atlanta's neighbourhoods, 'from Bankhead to Buckhead'.

What is the name of the neon accent colour the Hawks introduced in 2015?

Volt Green. It joined Torch Red and Georgia Granite Gray in 2015, and was dropped in 2020 when the team went back to the red, black and yellow of the 1990s.

The Hawks' 2020–21 'City' uniform paid tribute to which Atlanta figure?

Martin Luther King Jr. The team pledged its profits from sales of the jersey to programmes carrying on his work on economic empowerment.

The Hawks retired the number 59 in honour of which Atlanta mayor?

Kasim Reed. He was the city's 59th mayor, in office when the Hawks were sold in 2015 on the NBA's condition that they stay in Atlanta.

The Hawks–Magic rivalry is traced to two Georgia-raised 2004 draftees, one of them which Hawks forward?

Josh Smith. Orlando swept his Hawks out of the 2010 playoffs, and Atlanta answered by eliminating the Magic in six games a year later.

Which 1980s film actress became a co-owner of the Hawks in 2015?

Jami Gertz. The star of The Lost Boys and Less Than Zero bought the team with her husband, who later insisted she be its face at the televised draft lottery.

What was the name of the Hawks' home arena in Atlanta from 1972 to 1997?

Omni Coliseum. Its scoreboard is the only piece to survive, and it now hangs in the arena that was built on the same site.

Who coached the Hawks to the 1958 NBA title, then was let go by owner Ben Kerner right after?

Alex Hannum. Kerner did not keep him on after the title, and Hannum went on to coach the 1967 76ers, the team that ended Boston's run of eight straight championships.

Which former Duke star made the only All-Star team of his career as a Hawk in 1997?

Christian Laettner. The lone college player on the 1992 Dream Team came from Minnesota in a mid-season trade and averaged 18.1 points in his All-Star year.

Which shot-blocking centre joined the Hawks in 1996 and won the next two Defensive Player of the Year awards?

Dikembe Mutombo. He took up basketball at 16 while planning to become a doctor, and wagged a finger after his blocked shots.

Which North Carolina forward did the Hawks take second overall in the 2005 draft?

Marvin Williams. North Carolina's sixth man was chosen ahead of point guards Deron Williams and Chris Paul, who went with the next two picks.

Which Celtic's finger did Hawks centre Tree Rollins bite in a 1983 playoff scuffle?

Danny Ainge. He needed stitches and was the one ejected, and the Boston Herald ran the headline 'Tree Bites Man'.

Which Spurs executive did the Hawks hire as president of basketball operations and GM in June 2012?

Danny Ferry. Within weeks of taking the job he traded six-time All-Star Joe Johnson to Brooklyn for five players and a draft pick.

Which Hawks co-owner said in 2014 he would sell after self-reporting a racially insensitive email?

Bruce Levenson. He reported his own 2012 email to the NBA, and within months his fellow owners agreed to sell too, putting the whole franchise on the market.