- 1951
- 1954
-
Move to Milwaukee from Tri-City
The Blackhawks finished last in the Western Division and missed the playoffs. By then, it was obvious that the Tri-Cities area was too small to support an NBA team. After the season, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became the Milwaukee Hawks. -
Signing Bob Pettit
The Hawks finally got a superstar in Bob Pettit who was drafted out of Louisiana State. In his first season, Pettit would earn Rookie of the Year honors while finishing fourth in scoring a 20.4 ppg. However, it would not be enough to lift the Hawks out of the last place as they posted a record of 26-46. Following the ...
History of the Hawks
Upon moving from Tri-Cities to Milwaukee the team shortens its nickname from Blackhawks to Hawks. Playing in the larger Milwaukee Arena better known as The Mecca the Hawks played lackluster basketball, posting a horrid league worse 17-49 record, with Mel Hutchins, who tied for second in rebounding with 13.3 boards per game the team's lone highlight.
Established
1946
City
Tri-Cities - Milwaukee - St. Louis - Atlanta
League History
1949 – Present / National Basketball Association
1946 – 1949 / National Basketball League
Team History
1968 – Present / Atlanta Hawks
1955 – 1968 / St. Louis Hawks
1951 – 1955 / Milwaukee Hawks
1946 – 1951 / Tri-Cities Blackhawks
Nickname
Hawks - The Tri-City Blackhawk’s name was shorted to just Hawks after the team moved to Milwaukee.
Championship
NBA Championships 0
1958
Arena
2019 - Present / State Farm Arena
1999 - 2018 / Philips Arena
1997 – 1999 / Georgia Dome & Alexander Memorial Coliseum
1972 – 1997 / The Omni
1968 – 1972 / Alexander Memorial Coliseum
*St. Louis*
1955 – 1968 / Kiel Auditorium
*Milwaukee*
1951 – 1955 / Milwaukee Arena
*Moline*
1946 – 1951 / Wharton Field House
Owner
2015 – Present / Tony Ressler
2004 – 2015 / Atlanta Spirit, LLC
1977 – 2004 / Ted Turner/Turner Broadcasting
1968 – 1976 / Tom Cousins/Cousins Corporation, Carl Sanders
1946 – 1968 / Ben Kerner
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
9 / Bob Pettit
21 / Dominique Wilkins
23 / Lou Hudson
44 / Pete Maravich
55 / Dikembe Mutombo
59 / Kasim Reed
– / Ted Turner
*Blue is this team’s history