The Hawks have gone 67 seasons without a title since the 1958 run in St. Louis, the second-longest drought in the league. Atlanta opens Wednesday at Orlando with a core built around Jalen Johnson, and the franchise's own record book sets the bar.
Sixty-Seven Years and Counting
The only banner came in 1958, when the St. Louis Hawks beat the Celtics 4-2 behind a 50-point game from Bob Pettit. They lost to Boston in the Finals in 1957, 1960 and 1961 too. The Hawks had drafted Bill Russell and traded him to those same Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. The drought is 67 seasons now. Only Sacramento has waited longer.
The 57-25 Bar and Last Season
The 1986-87 team went 57-25, a franchise record that held until 2014-15. Last season's Hawks went 46-36, ranked 12th in net rating and 9th on defense, and took the sixth seed. They won two games off the eventual champion Knicks before losing in six. Johnson made All-NBA Third Team. Nickeil Alexander-Walker won Most Improved Player. One five-man group of CJ McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, Johnson and Dyson Daniels posted a net rating of +20.3 last season. That group is the clearest case that this core can climb past 46 wins.
October 19 and the Rockets
Atlanta has played on this date before. In 1968, the first season after the franchise moved from St. Louis, the Hawks beat Milwaukee 125-107. Twice they have beaten Houston on October 19: 118-112 in 1974 and 117-107 in 2022. The Rockets are the first home opponent of the new year, on October 24, and the Hawks visit them October 26. Before that comes Wednesday at Orlando, then Charlotte on October 23. The Hawks went 3-0 in the preseason games listed here, the last a 135-111 win at Dallas with Alexander-Walker scoring 25. Payroll sits at $198.5 million, under the tax line of $200.4 million, with first-round picks owed to San Antonio in 2027. Winning now matters.
How long have the Hawks gone without a championship?
The Hawks have gone 67 seasons without a title. Their only championship came in 1958, when the St. Louis Hawks beat the Celtics 4-2.
When do the Hawks open the 2026-27 season?
Atlanta opens Wednesday, October 21, at the Magic. After a trip to Charlotte on October 23, the Hawks host Houston on October 24.
