With three appearances in the top five, Dikembe Mutombo is one of our headliners for single-season blocks per game leaders in Hawks’ history.
The Atlanta Hawks have had several excellent shot blockers play for their franchise. Some of them have landed in the Hall of Fame. Let’s highlight their top five all-time leaders in blocks per game for a single season.
Note that blocks became an official NBA stat in the 1973-74 season.
Tree Rollins, 1983, 4.3 BPG
The Hawks selected Rollins with the 14th pick in the 1977 Draft. Despite logging just 22 minutes per game during his rookie season, Rollins averaged 2.7 blocks. In each of his first five seasons in the league, he averaged 26 or fewer minutes per game. However, he saw his playing time increase to 31 minutes per game in 1982-83. The result was him leading the league with 4.3 blocks per game. He made All-Defensive Second Team that season and finished second in the voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Tree Rollins, 1984, 3.6 BPG
Rollins continued to block shots in bunches the following season, averaging 3.6 rejections per game. He also averaged 31 minutes per game. He made All-Defensive First Team that season, which was the only time that he would accomplish that feat in his career. Rollins started to see his minutes dwindle following the 1983-84 campaign, and he averaged just 23 minutes per game in 1987-88, which was his final season with the Hawks. He would go on to play for the Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets and Magic. Over 814 regular season games with the Hawks, Rollins averaged 7.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
Dikembe Mutombo, 1998, 3.4 BPG
Mutombo spent the first five seasons of his career with the Nuggets. During his time with the team, he led the league in blocks per game three times, made three All-Star teams, and won a Defensive Player of the Year award. The 1997-98 season was his second season since joining the Hawks. While his average of 3.4 blocks per game didn’t lead the NBA, he finished All-Defensive First Team and won the Defensive Player of the Year award again.
Dikembe Mutombo, 1997, 3.3 BPG
The 1996-97 season was Mutombo’s first with the Hawks. He logged an average of 37 minutes while appearing in 80 games. He made a great first impression with his new team, averaging 13.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. That helped him make the All-Star team, be named All-Defensive First Team and win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Dikembe Mutombo, 2000, 3.3 BPG
Mutombo not only averaged 3.3 blocks per game in 1999-00, but he also led the league by averaging 14.1 rebounds. He made the All-Star team and finished third in the voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award. The following season, Mutombo was traded from the Hawks to the 76ers. He would eventually go on to play for the Nets, Knicks and Rockets. Over 343 regular-season games with the Hawks, Mutombo averaged 11.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
