The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did not join the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 1976 ABA–NBA merger. The downtown Louisville Convention Center was the Colonels' venue for their first three seasons before moving to Freedom Hall for the remaining seasons, beginning with the 1970–71 schedule.
Christopher Paul Mullin is an American former professional basketball player, executive and coach. He is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock is an American former professional basketball player. He spent 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and the Golden State Warriors.
Drew William Barry is an American retired professional basketball player. He is the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry and has four brothers: Scooter, Jon, Canyon and Brent, who also share his profession. His grandfather Bruce Hale also played in the NBA and was Rick's college coach at Miami of Florida. His stepmother is Lynn Barry.
Albert Harrington is an American former professional basketball player. Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Harrington played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. He also spent a short stint with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
Michael Joseph Dunleavy Jr. is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the general manager for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, earning consensus second-team All-American honors in 2002. Dunleavy was selected by Golden State with the third overall pick of the 2002 NBA draft. He played in the NBA for the Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. He is the son of former NBA player and head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr.
Erick Travez Dampier is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. He was a 6 ft 11 in / 265 lb. center.
Jarrett Matthew Jack is an American professional basketball coach and former player and an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended four high schools in North Carolina, Maryland and Massachusetts before playing collegiately at Georgia Tech. He was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, before playing with the Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, and New York Knicks.
Terry Linn Stotts is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is the top assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2012 to 2021 before most recently spending an offseason as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2023.
Keith McLeod is an American former professional basketball player and current varsity boys basketball head coach at East Canton High School in Canton, Ohio. He is 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall. He has also played in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, in the CBA for the Yakima Sun Kings, in the USBL for the Saint Joseph Express, in the NBA D-League with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Canton Charge, and Erie BayHawks, and in the Italian top league for Mabo Prefabbricati Livorno, Lottomatica Virtus Roma and Montepaschi Siena.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals. It also marked the departure of Michael Jordan and the end of the dynasty for the Chicago Bulls.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the Hawks' 45th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season in Atlanta. In the off-season, Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Michael Jordan shocked the NBA by announcing his retirement. This meant that various teams in the league had an opportunity to contend for a championship. The Hawks hired Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens as their new head coach. Wilkens was a star guard for the franchise when it was based in St. Louis in the 1960s. He was quickly moving up the all-time coaching wins list after successful runs with the Seattle SuperSonics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Wilkens employed a defensive system which benefited several members of the team. The team also signed free agents Craig Ehlo, and Andrew Lang during the off-season.
Anthony Jarrad Morrow is an American former professional basketball player and executive who was most recently an executive for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Georgia Tech. He went undrafted in the 2008 NBA draft but was later signed by the Golden State Warriors. He was best known for his three-point shooting. In February 2023 he was arrested for multiple assault-related charges including kidnapping and strangulation for the alleged assault of his girlfriend.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Pacers' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 31st season as a franchise. In the off-season, the Pacers hired former Indiana State and Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird as head coach, acquired All-Star forward Chris Mullin from the Golden State Warriors, and signed free agent Mark West. Bird and Mullin were once teammates on the "Dream Team" from the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
The 2005–06 NBA season was the Atlanta Hawks' 57th season in the National Basketball Association, and 38th season in Atlanta. After finishing the previous season with the worst record, the Hawks selected Marvin Williams out of the University of North Carolina with the second overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. During the offseason, the team acquired Joe Johnson from the Phoenix Suns, and signed free agent Zaza Pachulia. However, tragedy struck as center Jason Collier suffered a heart attack during the preseason and died suddenly on October 15. The Hawks would stumble out of the gate again losing their first nine games the same as the Toronto Raptors, on their way to an awful 2–16 start. Tony Delk was released to free agency after one game, and later signed with the Detroit Pistons. However, they would play better in December winning five of their next seven games, including a home win over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, 94–84 on December 10. The Hawks played .500 basketball in February, which included a 99–98 home victory over the Pistons on February 7. The Hawks doubled their win total by finishing last place in the Southeast Division with a 26–56 record, tied with the second-year Charlotte Bobcats.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Warriors' 51st season in the National Basketball Association, and 35th in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Warriors had the eleventh overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected Todd Fuller out of North Carolina State. Due to extensive renovations at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, the team played their home games at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California this season. In the off-season, the Warriors signed free agent All-Star guard Mark Price, then traded Rony Seikaly to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Felton Spencer, Donald Royal and Jon Koncak at the start of the season. However, Koncak was out for the entire season with a knee injury, and never played for the Warriors.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Warriors' 52nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 36th in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Warriors received the eighth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected Adonal Foyle out of Colgate University. The Warriors also moved into their new arena, known as The Arena in Oakland. During the off-season, the team acquired second-year center Erick Dampier from the Indiana Pacers, and Brian Shaw from the Orlando Magic. Early into the season, they traded B. J. Armstrong to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Muggsy Bogues and second-year guard Tony Delk. However, under new head coach P.J. Carlesimo, the Warriors struggled losing their first nine games, which led to an awful 1–14 start.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Warriors' 54th season in the National Basketball Association, and 38th in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city of Oakland hosted the 2000 NBA All-Star Game. During the off-season, the Warriors acquired Mookie Blaylock from the Atlanta Hawks, and rookie guard Vonteego Cummings from the Indiana Pacers. The Warriors struggled losing 16 of their first 18 games as head coach P. J. Carlesimo was fired after a 6–21 start, and was replaced with General Manager Garry St. Jean, where the team suffered a 12-game losing streak between December and January. Second-year star Antawn Jamison, Chris Mills, Erick Dampier and Terry Cummings all missed large parts of the season due to injuries.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Pacers' 21st season in the National Basketball Association, and 30th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Pacers acquired Jalen Rose and Reggie Williams from the Denver Nuggets; the Pacers also received the tenth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft from the Nuggets, which they used to select Erick Dampier out of Mississippi State. However, after playing just two games for the team, Williams was then traded to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Vincent Askew. Injuries and sluggish play would hamper the Pacers all season long as Rik Smits only played 52 games due to a foot injury, while Derrick McKey only appeared in just 50 games due to a foot injury, and a ruptured Achilles tendon, and Haywoode Workman was lost for the remainder of the season with a knee injury after only playing just four games.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Hawks' 51st season in the National Basketball Association, and 32nd season in Atlanta. The Hawks played their first season at the Philips Arena, which was built over the site of The Omni. The team also had four first-round draft picks in the 1999 NBA draft, selecting Jason Terry from the University of Arizona with the tenth overall pick, then selecting Cal Bowdler out of Old Dominion University with the 17th overall pick, Dion Glover out of Georgia Tech with the 20th overall pick, and Jumaine Jones from the University of Georgia with the 27th overall pick, but soon traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a future draft pick. In the off-season, the Hawks acquired Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson from the Portland Trail Blazers, acquired Bimbo Coles from the Golden State Warriors, and acquired Lorenzen Wright from the Los Angeles Clippers.
