The 1995–96 NBA season was the Hawks' 47th season in the National Basketball Association, and 28th season in Atlanta. The Hawks received the sixteenth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected Alan Henderson out of Indiana University. During the off-season, the team re-acquired former Hawks guard and one-time Slam Dunk champion Spud Webb from the Sacramento Kings; Webb played for the Hawks from 1985 to 1991. The team also replaced Stacey Augmon as the team's starting small forward with Ken Norman, as Augmon played a sixth man role off the bench for the first half of the season.
The Hawks played above .500 with a 9–5 start in November, but then struggled losing 10 of their 14 games in December. After 28 games, Norman was benched as Augmon returned to the lineup for the remainder of the season, as the Hawks posted a ten-game winning streak in January, and held a 26–21 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, Webb was traded along with Andrew Lang to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Christian Laettner and Sean Rooks. The Hawks finished in fourth place in the Central Division with a 46–36 record.
Steve Smith led the Hawks in scoring averaging 18.1 points per game, while Mookie Blaylock averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game, led the Hawks with 231 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Grant Long provided the team with 13.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. In addition, Augmon provided with 12.7 points and 1.4 steals per game, while off the bench, sixth man Craig Ehlo contributed 8.5 points per game, and Henderson averaged 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Norman averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 34 games, but did not participate in the playoffs, and feuded with head coach Lenny Wilkens after being benched.
Wilkens reached a significant milestone, becoming the first NBA coach ever to reach 1,000 victories, after a 74–68 home win against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 1, 1996; Wilkens also finished in sixth place in Coach of the Year voting.
In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Hawks faced off against the Indiana Pacers for the third consecutive season; they would eliminate the 3rd-seeded Pacers in a hard-fought five-game series. However, in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, they would be eliminated by the Orlando Magic in five games.
The Hawks finished 27th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 496,668 at the Omni Coliseum, which was the third-lowest during the regular season. Following the season, Augmon and Long were both traded to the Detroit Pistons, while Ehlo signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics, and Rooks signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
For the season, the Hawks changed their primary logo, which showed a hawk spreading its wings and holding a basketball, and added black and brown to their color scheme of red and yellow. The team also added new uniforms, which had the Hawks' logo on the front of their jerseys, while adding half-black and half-red road uniforms. The logo remained in use until 2007, while the basic design lasted until 2015, and the new uniforms lasted until 1999.
Offseason
Draft picks
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Playoffs
Player statistics
Season
Playoffs
Player Statistics Citation:
Awards and records
Awards
- Mookie Blaylock, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
Records
Transactions
Trades
February 22, 1996
- Traded Andrew Lang and Spud Webb to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Christian Laettner and Sean Rooks.
Free agents
October 5, 1995
- Signed Howard Nathan as a free agent.
- Signed Matt Bullard as a free agent.
October 30, 1995
- Signed Todd Mundt as a free agent.
- Waived Cuonzo Martin.
- Waived Gaylon Nickerson.
December 14, 1995
- Signed Tim Kempton as a free agent.
- Waived Howard Nathan.
January 5, 1996
- Waived Tim Kempton.
January 16, 1996
- Signed Ron Grandison as a free agent.
February 22, 1996
- Signed Howard Nathan to a 10-day contract.
March 2, 1996
- Waived Howard Nathan.
March 6, 1996
- Signed Reggie Jordan to the first of two 10-day contracts.
March 9, 1996
- Waived Todd Mundt.
March 26, 1996
- Signed Reggie Jordan to a contract for the rest of the season.
Player Transactions Citation:
See also
- 1995–96 NBA season
References
