Although Bill Bridges was considered undersized for his position (he was only 6’ 6’) he was a tenacious rebounder, especially during his time with the Hawks.  With the exception of his first two seasons, the former Kansas Jayhawk would average a double double, finishing in the top eight in Rebounds per Game six times as a Hawk.  The three-time All-Star would also be chosen for two Second Team Defensive squads.

Lenny Wilkens was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame three times: as a player, as a coach and with the 1992 United States Olympic Dream Team. 

One of the more physically imposing players of his day, Zelmos Beaty arrived as the third overall draft pick coming out of Prairie View A&M.  Beaty would use his size to average over 10 Rebounds per Game in six of his seven Atlanta seasons, and was also an adept scorer exceeding over 20 Points per Game three times.  He would represent the Hawks in the All Star Game twice.

With a name like “Tree” Rollins you expect that the man would be tall right?  Yes, you would be right.

Foregoing college for the NBA Draft, Josh Smith brought instant excitement to the Atlanta Hawks.  He first garnered national attention as the winner of the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie but the expert dunker proved to be a true savant as a blocker.  Notably the youngest player to get to 500 Blocks, Smith would finish in the top five in Blocks four times while posting seven seasons scoring over 15 Points per Game.

Paul Millsap played four seasons for the Atlanta Hawks (2013-14 to 2016-17) and he went "four for four" as in he was named an All Star in each of those seasons.  While the Hawks were always a lower end playoff team when he played there, he was successful in putting together good statistical seasons as he never has a campaign for ATL where he dipped under 16 Points or 7 Rebounds per Season.  

It was also in Atlanta where he would collect his first individual statistical title where the defensive minded Power Forward would lead the Association in Defensive Win Shares with 6.0.  Millsap's run with the Hawks ended due to the team restructuring but there is no doubt that that he made his mark there and his contributions to the team should not be forgotten.

While Doc Rivers is far better known these days for his coaching work (he is a former Coach of the Year with an NBA Ring in Boston) there are many in the state of Georgia who will always remember him for his sweet passes to Dominique Wilkins.

Known for his strong defensive game, “Mr Rounds” Dan Roundfield brought a ton of “power” to the Power Forward position.  Roundfield came to Atlanta after a three year run in Indiana and would reward the Hawks faithful five Defensive Team Selections and three straight All-Star appearances.  In all but his final season with Atlanta he averaged a season double double, however the one that he missed was because averaged a mere 9.9 Rebounds per Game.  Not too shabby for a Central Michigan Chippewa!

Far from a one-dimensional Center, Al Horford was the third overall draft pick in 2007 and paid early dividends for the Atlanta Hawks.  A runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors, Horford had two back-to-back All-Star runs (2010-11 & 2015-16) and never had a season where he fell below 10 Points per Game.  Horford would also post seasons with a PER above 20.

Mookie Blaylock was one of the best defensive Point Guards of all time.  Blaylock was an Atlanta Hawk for seven years, which was the best part of his career.  While in Atlanta, Blaylock would win the Steals Title twice and would six times make an All-Defensive Team.  Offensively, Blaylock would never fall below 13 Points per Game as a Hawk.

Cliff Hagan entered the NBA later than he would have liked as the former NCAA Champion with Kentucky served in the military for a few years, however he would quickly make up for lost time.

Seriously, if this was specifically just for the accomplishments of the Hawks while in Atlanta, Dominique would have been a lock for the number one slot…though is being behind Bob Pettit an insult in any capacity?

The owner of one of the sweetest jump shots of all time (hence the nickname of “Sweet Lou”), Lou Hudson went to six straight All-Star Games, coincidentally the first six seasons the team relocated to Atlanta.  Hudson would score over 20 Points per Game seven times, four of which would be higher than 25 Points.  While the Hawks never really went that deep into the playoffs while he was there, most of the success that Atlanta did have can be attributed to Lou Hudson.

Hudson's #23 was retired by the team in 1977, right after he retired.

While John Drew might be best known in the NBA for being the first recipient of a lifetime drug ban, many Hawks fans would prefer to remember him for his on the court talent as opposed to his off the court problems.

Bob Pettit played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Hawks, and all of them with a trip to the All-Star Game.

Pretty impressive isn’t it?

The intention here at Notinhalloffame.com is to take a look at every franchise from the four main North American Sports and who the best fifty is for each team.  It will be a daunting task for sure, but it will also include a look at how each team handles retiring numbers, franchise hall of fames and other post career accolades.

As such, we here are Notinhalloffame.com are acknowledging the Atlanta Hawks’ decision to retire the number of Dikembe Mutombo, the finger wagging shot-blocker who just entered the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mutombo, who wore #55 throughout his entire professional career, was a Hawk for nearly five of his eighteen year career, earning All Star accolades in four of those seasons.  The African born player was named to two of his four NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards in Atlanta and also would be a two time Blocks Champion and two time Rebound Champion as a Hawk.

Overall as an Atlanta Hawk, Dikembe Mutombo had an 11.9 Points, 12.6 Rebounds and 3.2 Blocks per Game Average with an 18.9 PER.

We would like to congratulate Dikembe Mutombo on this latest accolade.

The grunge movement would not have been the same if Pearl Jam would have been able to call themselves what they wanted to; it would have been better.  Mookie Blaylock has such a nice ring to it for a Rock band don’t you think?  In regards to the man, Blaylock was quite the player.  One of the great shooting point guards ever, Mookie is top 50 in several NBA all time statistics.  He never really dominated the game but his consistency, ability to shoot and his great defense set him apart from most of the point guards of the 90’s.

John Drew had 20.7 points and almost 7 boards per game making him one of great small forwards of his generation.  Of course, a Hall of Fame induction would mean little to Jazz fans as they saw him in the tail end of his career where they shipped Dominique Wilkins to the Hawks.  Career wise, Drew has solid statistics with 15,000 points and 5,000 rebounds.  However, he is likely best known not for his solid lifetime numbers; nor being on the wrong end of a lopsided trade.  He is probably best known for notoriously receiving the first lifetime ban in the NBA for his cocaine addiction.

Paul Silas is one of the most respected players of his generation.  Never a star, Silas was a workmanlike power forward that was at his best coming off the bench and bringing the muscle to the court.  A great rebounder and defender, Silas was an integral part of three championship teams, two in Boston and one in Seattle.  A long career highlighted by being on winners and collecting over 12,000 rebounds (currently 20th on the all time list) have overshadowed a great college career.