The origins of the Atlanta Hawks can be traced to the establishment of the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 in Buffalo, New York. The Bisons were a member of the National Basketball League, and played their games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Their first game -- a 50-39 victory over the Syracuse Nationals -- was played on November 8, 1946. After just 38 days in Buffalo, the team moved to Moline, Illinois, where they were renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks.

After stops in Milwaukee (1951) and St. Louis (1955), the Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968. While a new arena was being constructed, the team spent its first four seasons playing at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech.

Harry the Hawk hatched on Oct 25, 1986. Being the most popular bird in Atlanta, his goal is, of course, to see the Hawks win the NBA Championship and he does his best to help make that goal reality.

Nicknamed "the Human Highlight Film", Dominique Wilkins spent 11 seasons with the Hawks, notching a franchise-record 23,292 points along the way. His #21 jersey was retired by the Hawks on January 13, 2001.

The 1958 NBA World Championship Series pitted the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks against the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. The Hawks won the series in six games to win the franchise's first NBA title.

Bob Pettit played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954-1965). In 1956, he became the very first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award. He also won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award four times, a feat matched only by fellow Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

Dominique Wilkins won the contest in 1985, but in 1986 his Atlanta Hawks teammate Spud Webb made history when he defeated Wilkins in the final, preventing him from retaining his title. Standing a mere 5 feet 7 inches tall, Webb became the shortest player ever to win the contest.

Cable network entrepreneur and Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner bought the Hawks in 1977, partially to provide programming for his cable channels. The Hawks were the only NBA team in the Deep South at the time, just as the Atlanta Braves were the only Major League Baseball team, and Turner's ownership was instrumental in keeping both teams in the region.

Mookie Blaylock's quick hands and ball hawking defensive style produced more than 200 steals in a season five times and earned him two NBA All-Defensive first-team selections.

On March 4, 2019, Vince Carter scored 21 points, all on 3-pointers, in a 114-113 loss to the Miami Heat, breaking his own record of being the oldest player to score 20+ points in a game at 42 years, 37 days.