Hawks to retire iconic guard Pete Maravich's No. 44 jersey
Pete Maravich is set to officially join the short list of all-time Hawks legends.
The late great guard's No. 44 jersey will be retired and lifted to the Philips Arena rafters on March 3, joining Lou Hudson, Dikembe Mutombo, Bob Pettit and Dominique Wilkins as the franchise's most iconic names. Former Atlanta owner Ted Turner's name is also memorialized above the Hawks' home court.
Pistol Pete played his first four NBA seasons in Atlanta, averaging 24.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
The Hall of Famer and former No. 3 overall draft pick died on Jan. 5, 1988.
"Pete Maravich is one of the league’s all-time greats, an icon of the game and was a very important figure in pro basketball in Atlanta in the early 1970s," Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said in a statement. "New generations are discovering the wizardry of his game through YouTube and social media. We are proud to hang his No. 44 in the rafters at Philips Arena alongside our other franchise icons."
Maravich, whose uniform is also retired in New Orleans, Utah and at his alma mater LSU, was a five-time NBA All-Star and made All-NBA teams in his career.
The ceremony will take place at halftime of the Hawks-Cavaliers game on March 3.
https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/820092520076050432
