Al Horford is among the Hawks’ all-time leaders in playoff games.
The St. Louis Hawks were a formidable team in the early days of the NBA. That is worth remembering when discussing a list of the top five players in franchise history when it comes to postseason games played. Back then, the playoffs were a slighter affair in terms of teams, rounds, and games. But, if a player went to the postseason enough times, they could still rack up games. That makes for an interesting top five for the Hawks, which starts with two guys from the franchise’s only title team in 1958.
1. Cliff Hagan – 90 games
Hagan didn’t play in what would have been the first three seasons of his career because he was serving in the military. Then, he spent 10 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks. In that time, he made five All-Star games and appeared in four NBA Finals. That includes 1958, when the Hawks beat the Celtics in six games. Hagan retired with 745 regular-season games and 90 playoff games played for the Hawks.
2. Bob Pettit – 88 games
Pettit was one of the best players in the early days of the NBA. He played 11 seasons, all with the St. Louis Hawks, and he was first-team All-NBA 10 times. He retired a year before Hagan, which leaves him a couple games behind his longtime teammate.
3. Bill Bridges – 77 games
Bridges missed out on that 1958 title, but he joined the team for the 1962-63 season toward the end of the Pettit-and-Hagan era. Bridges stuck around with the team through the move from St. Louis to Atlanta as well. Bridges was a good player who made three All-Star Games with the Hawks, but he couldn’t take them to a title.
4. Al Horford – 74 games
From 2007-2016, the Hawks made the playoffs eight straight times led by Horford. After spending nine seasons with the franchise, Horford left in 2016 and signed with the Boston Celtics.
5. Lenny Wilkens – 64 games
Wilkens is a familiar name in the history of the Hawks franchise. In the 1960s, he was a star for St. Louis, making five All-Star Games over eight seasons. He also was the MVP runner-up in his last year with the team. Wilkens became a head coach after retiring and would come to coach the Hawks for seven seasons.
