Our series on the four jerseys fans of every NBA team continues today. It’s Southeast Division week, and today we’re focusing on the Atlanta Hawks. Remember, we’re not just going to list off four popular players in team history. We know that when you’re wearing a jersey, you’re going for a “look.” So every day we’re going to tell you the jersey you’ve got to have, the jersey you can’t go wrong with (in case you can’t find the first one), the jersey that will make people say “Oh, that’s awesome,” and the joke jersey that will have everyone laughing.
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the NBA’s well-traveled franchises. They actually were born as the “Buffalo Bisons” of the NBL, but were almost immediately moved to Illinois to become the “Tri-Cities Blackhawks.” Tri-Cities then became one of the original NBA franchises, reaching the playoffs in their first year under the guidance of eventual-legend Red Auerbach. The team would later move to Milwaukee and then St. Louis before settling in Atlanta in the 1968-69 season. Along the way, several of the best players the NBA has ever seen have worn the Hawks colors. We’ve reached back into that long, winding Hawks history to pick the four jerseys that will make heads turn as you walk down Peachtree Boulevard.
Gotta Have:
Dominique Wilkins — Nique was just an amazing specimen of a basketball player. You don’t earn the nickname “human highlight film” for nothing. The man dunked everything on everybody. Of course, he was much more than that, but people are so blinded by the amazing array of dunks that they underrate the rest of his game when comparing him to the rest of the all-time greats. Regardless, Nique was absolutely one of the most excitiing players in NBA history. That #21 belongs in everyone’s closet in Atlanta. Bonus points if you still rock the Dominique Wilkins flat-top.
You can’t go wrong with:
Bob Pettit –– Pettit is, quite simply, one of THE best players the NBA has ever seen. He is the first man to win an NBA MVP award (one of his two MVP’s). He is among the 50 greatest players of all time. And he has lead the Hawks to their only NBA championship, which featured 50 points from Pettit in the clinching Game 6 (vs. Boston). You tell me how anyone can go wrong wearing Pettit’s #9?
“Oh, That’s Cool”:
Pete Maravich — People always equate Pistol Pete with the Jazz. He went to school at LSU and he eventually did play for New Orleans. But many people gloss over his first few years in Atlanta. Those years may have been a little up-and-down for Atlanta, but it’s still Pistol Pete playing for the Hawks. And not only that, you get to wear a jersey that has “Pistol” on the back. That alone makes this #44 cool enough, but so will telling the stories of who Pistol Pete was to some of the younger Hawks fans who are still learning the team’s history
“Oh, That’s Funny”:
Rasheed Wallace — Sheed boasts career averages of 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks per game in Atlanta. Those are easy numbers to calculate because Sheed played one game in Atlanta in which he scored 20 points, had 6 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots. Atlanta was a one-game pit stop for Sheed after a trade from Portland and a trade to the Pistons. Sheed would go on to win a title with the Pistons that season (his only championship), but you can still wear that #36 in honor of his one flash of brilliance in the A-T-L. So throw on that #36, scream at people until you get a technical foul, and bask in the single-game greatness of Rasheed Wallace.
There you have it. The four jerseys Hawks fans have got to have. Disagree with us? Let us know who we missed in the comments.
Previous jerseys:
Atlantic Division: Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto
Central Division: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee
Tomorrow: The Charlotte Bobcats
Jeff Garcia collaborated on this post
