Atlanta Hawks: Introducing the All-Time Third-Team
By Nate Friesen
G – Lenny Wilkens
Lenny Wilkens honestly has a case to have been on the All-Hawks first-team. I mean, he’s in the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach for a reason. However, slotting in on the All-Hawks third-team is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
Wilkens was drafted 6th overall by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1960 NBA Draft. He played eight seasons with the St. Louis Hawks and coached the Atlanta Hawks for seven seasons. Like many Hawk greats, Wilkens was a part of some really good Hawks teams both playing and coaching, however, it unfortunately never resulted in a championship.
In the 555 games Lenny Wilkens played for the Hawks, he averaged 15.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. During this time he represented the St. Louis Hawks in five All-Star games. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Wilkens went on to have the best seasons of his career with Seattle.
As mentioned, Lenny Wilkens also coached the Atlanta Hawks from 1993-2000. During this time, he coached the Hawks to multiple 50+ win seasons, however, it never resulted in anything more than a couple of second-round exits.
It could certainly be argued that Wilkens should be higher on this list, especially if you factor in his coaching career, however, a third-team selection is where I believe he fits.