AHAtlanta Hawks

Franchise history

The Hawks arrived in Atlanta in 1968, when owner Ben Kerner sold the St. Louis Hawks to a group led by Tom Cousins — the latest stop for a franchise that had already moved from Buffalo to the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee to St. Louis since 1946. Atlanta's early years were carried by Pete Maravich's flashy scoring, but the team's signature identity arrived with forward Dominique Wilkins, drafted in 1982. Nicknamed the "Human Highlight Film" for his explosive dunking, Wilkins anchored five straight 50-win seasons from 1985 to 1989 and a 1986-87 division title, but the Hawks repeatedly stalled in the conference semifinals against Boston and Detroit.

Under coach Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta finally broke through in 2015, winning 60 games and reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in the Atlanta era before falling to Cleveland. Point guard Trae Young, drafted in 2018, later sparked a surprise 2021 playoff run as the fifth-seeded Hawks upset the Knicks and top-seeded 76ers to reach the conference finals again, losing to Milwaukee. Atlanta has never won an NBA championship since relocating — the franchise's only title came in 1958 under the St. Louis Hawks name — leaving the club chasing its first Atlanta-era banner while it rebuilds around Young.

Sources

• Atlanta Hawks — Wikipedia
• Atlanta Hawks History — sportsteamhistory.com