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5 Best Atlanta Hawks Who Became NBA Head Coaches

ByDallin Duffy|
WASHINGTON - MARCH 30: Tyronn Lue #10 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on prior to their NBA game against the Washington Wizards on March 30, 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. The Wizards won 102-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - MARCH 30: Tyronn Lue #10 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on prior to their NBA game against the Washington Wizards on March 30, 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. The Wizards won 102-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
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Atlanta Hawks
ATLANTA, GA – CIRCA 1994: Head coach Lenny Wilkens of the Atlanta Hawks talks with his team while there’s a time out during an NBA basketball game circa 1994 at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. Wilkens coached the Hawks from 1993-2000. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

# 2 – Lenny Wilkens

Arguably the best Atlanta Hawks coach of all-time, Lenny Wilkens also was a very good player in his time. Wilkens spent the first eight seasons of his career in St. Louis, making the All-Star team in five of those.

He left to join Seattle, where he served as a player-coach for the team before doing the same in Portland for a few years. After he retired as a player, he returned to Seattle to serve as head coach for the next eight years, including the Sonics’ NBA championship in 1979.

He eventually left and helmed the Cavs for a handful of seasons and eventually ended up in Atlanta in 1993. Wilkens spent the next seven seasons as the Hawks’ coach, making the playoffs in the first six.

Wilkens’ winning percentage in Atlanta finished at .572, the highest of his coaching career that saw him lead six different teams.

He has a double presence in the Hall-of-Fame, being inducted as a player in 1989 and a coach in 1998.

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