NBA Champions ·
1958 St. Louis Hawks
The 1957-58 St. Louis Hawks are the only team in that franchise's long history to win an NBA title. They beat the Boston Celtics in six, a year after losing to them in a double-overtime Game 7. Bob Pettit closed the clincher with 50 points, including 19 of his team's last 21.
St. Louis went 41-31 and took the Western Division, a modest record for a champion. The roster was built around Pettit, the best forward in the league, with Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley inside and Slater Martin running the backcourt. Alex Hannum coached, having taken over the year before.
Pettit averaged better than 24 points a game and pulled down rebounds in bunches. Hagan gave the Hawks a second scorer near 20 a night. Macauley, the man St. Louis had received in the trade that sent Russell to Boston, played the middle.
The rematch with Boston turned on one injury. Russell sprained his ankle badly in Game 3 and was limited the rest of the way. With the Celtics short their center, St. Louis pushed to a 3-2 lead and finished it at home in Game 6. Pettit scored 50, hitting almost everything down the stretch, and put the Hawks ahead for good on a tip-in with 15 seconds left.
It remains the Hawks' lone championship across stops in Tri-Cities, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Atlanta. No Western team would win the title again until 1971.
Championship roster
Featured in Ring Holders Club
| Player | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Pettit | PF | 94 |
| Cliff Hagan | SF | 86 |
| Slater Martin | PG | 79 |
| Ed Macauley | C | 80 |
| Lenny Wilkens | SG | 78 |
| Chuck Share | 6th man | 74 |
| Alex Hannum | Coach | 84 |
Ratings are year-specific curated estimates for Ring Holders Club, not official NBA stats.
Rest of the roster
| Player | Pos | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Jack McMahon | G | starting backcourt |
| Frank Selvy | G | last player to score 100 in a college game |
| Jack Coleman | F | |
| Win Wilfong | G | |
| Med Park | G | |
| Walt Davis | F |