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We are ready to unveil a new Top 50, and once again it comes from the hardwood.  It is the Top 50 of the Atlanta Hawks.

The franchise began in Buffalo in 1946 as the Bisons in the NBL, though they were only there for a month relocating to Moline, Illinois where they were rechristened the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and would be part of the merger of the NBL and NBA in 1949. 

The team would relocate to Milwaukee in in 1951 upon the realization that Moline was too small to support the team.  Now named the Milwaukee Hawks, the franchise stayed there for only four years, but it do one major thing of note; it drafted Bob Pettit. 

The last half of the 1950’s and early 1960’s were the best in franchise history.  Now relocated to St. Louis, the Pettit led Hawks went to four NBA Finals (1957, 1958, 1960 & 1961) and would win the NBA Title in ’58, which to date is the only title the team has won.  The Hawks continued to b good through the 60’s, but despite the solid crowds, the ownership sought a bigger facility, which the city of St. Louis was not willing to provide.

Relocating to Atlanta in 1968, the Hawks have yet to make the Finals since their relocation despite multiple trips to the playoffs.  Currently, they have the second longest drought of not winning the NBA Title, though this does not mean that this list does not include some excellent players.

The entire list can be found here but for those who want a sneak peak, the top five are:


1. Bob Pettit

2. Dominique Wilkins

3. Cliff Hagen

4. John Drew

5. Lou Hudson


This list takes into account traditional statistics, advanced metrics and playoff performance.

It is up to the end of the 2015-16 Season.

We will be continuing our ongoing process of Top 50 teams with a return to the diamond, the Milwaukee Brewers.

As always, we thank you for your support!