Learn More About The Hawks:
The Atlanta Hawks first came to life in 1946 as the Buffalo Bisons, an early NBA team that played in Buffalo, New York's Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. The Bisons played for less than a season, as their owner moved the team from Buffalo off to Moline, Illinois. Moline was then part of the Tri-Cities Area, which prompted a renaming of the Buffalo Bisons to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. The Black Hawk war was fought mostly in what is now Illinois territory. The Blackhawks were part of the NBA's first, original 17 teams, which followed the 1949 NBL and BAA merger.
In the first year of the NBA, the Blackhawks reached the playoffs. In the next season, the Blackhawks failed to qualify. However, in 1951, after just a few years of inception, the Blackhawks franchise was relocted to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which led to their renaming as the Milwaukee Hawks. The next few years were forgettable: the Hawks became one of the league's worst playing teams. The team also underwent name changes, as they moved to St. Louis Missouri, where they became the St. Louis Hawks; and then the Atlanta Hawks, where they keep their home today.
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