The

2002–03 NBA season The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the 2003 NBA Finals. This would be Michael Jordan's last season in the NBA. ...

was the Hawks' 54th season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

, and 35th season in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Atlanta hosted the

2003 NBA All-Star Game The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 9, 2003 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Hawks. This game was the 52nd edition of the North American National Basketball Association (NB ...

. In the off-season, the Hawks acquired All-Star forward

Glenn Robinson Glenn Alan Robinson Jr. (born January 10, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dog" and "The Chosen One", he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1994 to 2005 for the Milwaukee Bucks, Atl ...

from the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. However,

DerMarr Johnson DerMarr Miles Johnson (born May 5, 1980) is an American basketball assistant coach at West Virginia and retired professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the NBA. College career Johnson was a consensus McDonald's, Parade Magazi ...

missed the entire season with a broken neck sustained from an off-season car accident. With the addition of Robinson, and

Theo Ratliff Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

playing his first full season with the team, the Hawks would get off to a 6–4 start, which included a road win over the 3-time defending champion

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 95–83 at

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...

on November 12. However, they would proceed to struggle as head coach

Lon Kruger Lonnie Duane Kruger (born August 19, 1952) is a retired American college and professional basketball coach (sport), coach who was most recently the men's basketball head coach of the University of Oklahoma. Kruger played college basketball for K ...

was fired after Christmas with the team floundering at 11–16. Under replacement

Terry Stotts Terry Linn Stotts (born November 25, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a playing as a fo ...

, the Hawks lost 12 of their next 15 games, including two six-game losing streaks in December and January, and held a 19–30 record at the All-Star break. Despite winning six of their final eight games in April, they finished fifth in the Central Division with a 35–47 record. Robinson averaged 20.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while

Shareef Abdur-Rahim Julius Shareef Abdur-Rahim (born December 11, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who is the president of the NBA G League. Nicknamed Reef, he previously served as the director of player personnel for the Sacramento Kings ...

averaged 19.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and

Jason Terry Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...

provided the team with 17.2 points, 7.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. In addition,

Dion Glover Micaiah Diondae "Dion" Glover (born October 22, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently an assistant coach for the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League, ...

contributed 9.7 points per game, while Ratliff provided with 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and led the team with 3.2 blocks per game, and

Ira Newble Ira Reynolds Newble II (born January 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association, NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Los ...

contributed 7.7 points per game. Following the season, Robinson was traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

after just one season in Atlanta, while Newble signed as a free agent with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, and Johnson and

Emanual Davis Emanual Davis (born August 27, 1968) is a retired American professional basketball player. As a 6'4" (1.96 m) point guard, Davis played college basketball at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware. Davis was never drafted by a National Baske ...

were both released to free agency.

Offseason

Draft picks

Roster

Roster Notes

* Guard/forward

missed the entire season due to a broken neck sustained from a car accident.

Regular season

Season standings

:z - clinched division title :y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot

Offseason

Draft picks

Roster

Roster Notes

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Season

Awards and records

Transactions

References

See also