Center – Dikembe Mutombo
While Dikembe Mutombo only played roughly four and a half seasons for the Atlanta Hawks, they were still some pretty great seasons. During his time with the Hawks Mutombo averaged 11.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game and was named to four All-Star teams. He was also inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
In Mutombo’s first season in Atlanta (1996-97), the Hawks had one of their more successful seasons as a franchise. The Hawks went 56-26 that season and lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to non-other than the Chicago Bulls. The other three and a half seasons Mutombo spent in Atlanta were certainly less successful, however, I see that as being far from the fault of Mutombo himself.
Some people may not consider Mutombo to be an All-time Atlanta Hawks first-teamer simply due to his limited time with the team. However, the way I see it, if you think about a player’s career as a whole, what team(s) do you remember them playing for? In the case of Mutombo, I think of the Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks. And there is simply no disputing his greatness.