MHMilwaukee Hawks

Franchise history

The Hawks arrived in Milwaukee in 1951 after owner Ben Kerner moved the franchise from the Tri-Cities, hoping a bigger market would fix the team's finances. It did not: Milwaukee never had a winning season in four years there, and the Hawks were consistently among the NBA's weakest teams both on the floor and at the gate, playing in front of sparse crowds at the Milwaukee Arena.

The one lasting mark the Milwaukee years left on the franchise came in the 1954 draft, when the Hawks selected forward Bob Pettit out of LSU. Pettit developed into the team's first true star, but his MVP seasons and Finals runs still lay ahead — they would come only after the franchise moved again. Unable to build a following in Milwaukee, Kerner relocated the Hawks to St. Louis in 1955, ending the franchise's brief Wisconsin stint.

Sources

• Atlanta Hawks — Wikipedia
• Bob Pettit — Wikipedia