Atlanta Hawks: 15 greatest scorers in franchise history

9.  Zelmo Beaty, Center, 1963-69

Big man Zelmo Beaty was more than just a cool name in franchise lore. The 6-foot-9 big man was an early pioneer of tough post play as a member of the St. Louis Hawks. He was taken third overall in the 1962 NBA Draft from NAIA, Prairie View A&M and quickly made a name for himself as a dominant force.

Beaty was named an All-Rookie after producing 10.2 points per game. By his fourth season (1965-66), he made his first All-Star appearance, after scoring 20.7 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting from the floor.

Despite his size or lack thereof, he showed time and time again why the Hawks took a chance on him. He had three games with 40 points or more and 41 games with 30 points or more, which ranks eighth among current Hawks players.

Beaty made the second All-Star appearance of his career with the Hawks in 1967-68, recording 21.1 points per contest. He shot a career-best 48.8 percent from the field that season as one of the premier big men around the rim.

He put up a career-high 42 points against the Seattle Supersonics in a 123-109 victory. The team went 3-0 in games he put up 40 points or more and 25-16 when he scored 30 points or more. Beaty was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

He ranks 10th all-time on the team’s all-time scoring list with 8,727 total points. For his career, Beaty produced 17.4 points per game through 501 appearances. He’ll go down as one of the better big men in the paint as evidenced by a bigger career in ABA.