Winning an NBA title is no easy feat. While some teams have won three titles in a row, there are many who are still waiting to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Since 1949, only 19 teams have been fortunate enough to call themselves NBA Champions.
In recent seasons, the Hawks have been a dark horse who have made some deep playoff runs along individual successes. However, the team holds the misfortune of having the second-longest championship drought in league history, at 64 seasons.
However, the Hawks do have an NBA title to their name, but for that, we will have to look way back into the franchise's history.
Atlanta Hawks Championships
The Atlanta Hawks won the NBA championship in 1958, when the team was known as the St. Louis Hawks. The Hawks have four Finals appearances to their name, all between 1957 and 1961. Back then the league comprised only eight teams with the Eastern and Western divisions consisting of four teams each.
Entering the 1958 season, both the Boston Celtics and the St. Louis Hawks were being eyed as favorites to win it all. Having met each other in the 1957 NBA finals, both teams fought tooth and nail to take home the trophy. Entering the seventh game, the series was tied three apiece. In the end, the Celtics proved to be too much for the Hawks and beat them 125-123. A rookie Bill Russell played a huge role in the Celtics taking home their first-ever NBA trophy.
At the end of the 1958 regular season, the Celtics and the Hawks finished on top of their respective division and once again met each other in the Finals. The Hawks won a close first game 104-102 to lead the series. The Celtics won Game 2 decisively, with Russell, Bob Cousey, and Bill Sherman combining for 69 points.
The Hawks came back and took the third-game victory to go up 2-1 in the series. The Celtics then beat the Hawks in the fourth game by nine points and tied the series. The Hawks retaliated with an eight-point win in the fifth game and delivered the finishing blow by beating the Celtics in the sixth and final game of the series to win their first NBA title.
NBA Hall of Famer Bob Petit finished as the leading scorer for the St. Louis Hawks. He averaged 24.2 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in the 1958 playoffs.
FAQs
A. The Atlanta Hawks have two conference finals appearances to their name (2015, 2021).
A. The Hawks have reached the NBA Finals four times (1957, 1958, 1960, and 1961).
A. The Hawks played their first season in Atlanta in 1968.
A. Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins played 13 seasons in Atlanta, finishing with 23,292 points.
