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Basketball / Teams
FRANCHISE

NBA franchise story

Atlanta Hawks

From the Tri-Cities to St. Louis and Atlanta, the Hawks have repeatedly reinvented themselves around transcendent scorers, versatile big men and deep, balanced teams.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Atlanta Hawks.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Atlanta Hawks official team history ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1949–50—1967–68

01
ATLPETTIT9Bob Pettit
ATLHAGAN16Cliff Hagan
ATLWILKENS14Lenny Wilkens

Three cities, four Finals and the 1958 title

Pettit builds a champion

The franchise moved from the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee and St. Louis, where Pettit powered four Finals trips and the championship that interrupted Boston's dynasty.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1949–50—1967–68

02▼

Franchise era

1968–69—1981–82

02
ATLHUDSON23Lou Hudson
ATLMARAVICH44Pete Maravich
ATLROUNDFIELD32Dan Roundfield

Lou Hudson and a franchise take root

A new home in Atlanta

The Hawks settled in Atlanta, pairing Hudson's smooth scoring with Maravich's invention before Roundfield anchored a tougher transition.

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Chapter 02

1968–69—1981–82

03▼

Franchise era

1982–83—1993–94

03
ATLWILKINS21Dominique Wilkins
ATLRIVERS25Doc Rivers
ATLWILLIS42Kevin Willis

Dominique makes every night an event

The Human Highlight Film

Wilkins turned Atlanta into a perennial playoff team and one of basketball's essential attractions, peaking with the classic 1988 duel against Larry Bird.

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Chapter 03

1982–83—1993–94

04▼

Franchise era

1994–95—2006–07

04
ATLMUTOMBO55Dikembe Mutombo
ATLBLAYLOCK10Mookie Blaylock
ATLSMITH8Steve Smith

Mutombo's blocks give way to rebuilding

Defense, then a reset

An elite defensive core kept Atlanta relevant in the 1990s before a long rebuild followed the veterans' departure.

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Chapter 04

1994–95—2006–07

05▼

Franchise era

2007–08—2017–18

05
ATLJOHNSON2Joe Johnson
ATLHORFORD15Al Horford
ATLMILLSAP4Paul Millsap

Joe Johnson, Horford and the 60-win ensemble

A decade of playoffs

Atlanta returned to the playoffs for ten straight seasons, culminating in a 60-win, four-All-Star team that reached the 2015 conference finals.

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Chapter 05

2007–08—2017–18

06

Franchise era

2018–19—present

06
ATLYOUNG11Trae Young
ATLCOLLINS20John Collins
ATLJOHNSON1Jalen Johnson

Deep range and a surprise conference-finals run

The Trae Young era

Young became the offense immediately and drove a fearless 2021 playoff run; the franchise has continued reshaping the cast around his creation.

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Chapter 06

2018–19—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Atlanta Hawks games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
1957
GAME7
BOSTONCELTICS
ATLANTAHAWKS
APR 13, 1957

Celtics vs Hawks

Apr 13, 1957

#02 · Regular Season

Regular Season
1984
BOSTONCELTICS
ATLANTAHAWKS
MAR 12, 1985

Celtics vs Hawks

Mar 12, 1985

#03 · Regular Season

Regular Season
2023
DALLASMAVERICKS
ATLANTAHAWKS
JAN 26, 2024

Mavericks vs Hawks

Jan 26, 2024

#04 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
1958
GAME6
ATLANTAHAWKS
BOSTONCELTICS
APR 12, 1958

Hawks vs Celtics

Apr 12, 1958

#05 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
1960
GAME7
BOSTONCELTICS
ATLANTAHAWKS
APR 9, 1960

Celtics vs Hawks

Apr 9, 1960

Season history

Past seasons

77 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Atlanta Hawks games

6,499 total · loaded 10 at a time