The 1955–1956 Saint Louis Hawks season was the 10th season for the franchise. After 4 last-place seasons in Milwaukee, the Hawks relocated to St. Louis. The city had once been home to the

St. Louis Bombers The St. Louis Bombers were a National Basketball Association team based in St. Louis from 1946 to 1950. Franchise history The St. Louis Bombers were originally part of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946. The BAA merged wit ...

, an early BAA franchise that folded in 1950. The Hawks were on the verge of becoming one of the top teams in the NBA, led by second year forward Bob Pettit, who would earn the very first MVP award in NBA history. The Hawks would finish in third place with a 33–39 record. In the playoffs against the Minneapolis Lakers, the Hawks were triumphant in Game 1 by a single point. Game 2 was played in Minneapolis, and the Hawks were blown out by 58 points in Game 2. The third game was contested in St. Louis. Once again, the Hawks would win by 1 point to advance to the Western Finals. In the three games, the Hawks were outscored by 56 points. In the Western Finals, the Hawks would win the first 2 games against the Fort Wayne Pistons. However, the Pistons would rebound to take the next 3 games and win the series.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , March 16 , Minneapolis
L 97–103
, Bob Pettit (22) ,

Kiel Auditorium Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena located in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the home of the St. Louis University basketball team and hosted the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, from 1955 to 1968. The site was home to Charles H. Turpin's Booker T. Wash ...

, 0–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , March 17 , Minneapolis
W 116–115
, Bob Pettit (25) ,

, 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , March 19 , @ Minneapolis
L 75–133
, Bob Pettit (14) ,

Minneapolis Auditorium Minneapolis Auditorium was an indoor arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It hosted the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers from 1947 until they moved to the Minneapolis Armory in 1959. The arena held 10,000 people and was built in 1927. The building fell into ...

, 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , March 21 , @ Minneapolis
W 116–115
, Bob Pettit (41) ,

, 2–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , March 22 , @

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

W 86–85
,

Al Ferrari Albert R. Ferrari (July 6, 1933 – May 2, 2016) was an American basketball player. At 6'4", and weighing 190 lbs, he played both at guard and forward. Born in New York City, he went to high school at Brooklyn Technical High School and after ...

(17) , War Memorial Coliseum , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , March 24 ,

W 84–74
,

(21) ,

, 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , March 25 , @

L 84–107
, Alex Hannum (18) , War Memorial Coliseum , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , March 27 ,

L 84–93
, Jack Coleman (19) ,

, 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , March 29 , @

L 97–102
, Jack Coleman (20) , War Memorial Coliseum , 2–3 , -

Awards and honors

* Bob Pettit, NBA Most Valuable Player Award * Bob Pettit, All-NBA First Team

References

Hawks on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1955-56 St. Louis Hawks Season Atlanta Hawks seasons St. Louis St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks