The Atlanta Hawks have had some excellent rebounders play for the team during their history. In particular, Bob Pettit stands out in that department. Let’s highlight their top five single season rebounds per game leaders.

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The then Milwaukee Hawks selected Pettit with the second pick in the 1954 Draft. In his first season in the league, he made the All-Star team, was selected All-NBA First Team and won the Rookie of the Year award. That season, he averaged 20.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. The best rebounding season of his career came in 1960-61 when he averaged 20.3 rebounds per game. He also averaged 27.9 points per game that season, which helped him make the All-Star team, be named All-NBA First Team and finish second in MVP voting.

Pettit followed up his dominant 1960-61 campaign by averaging 18.7 rebounds the following season. He also averaged a career high 31.1 points per game in 1961-62. He made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA First Team and finished sixth in MVP voting that season. Not only did Pettit appear in 78 games, but he averaged 42 minutes per game.

Pettit appeared in 70 games during the 1957-58 season. In addition to averaging 17.4 rebounds, he provided 24.6 points per game. He wasn’t exactly efficient, though, shooting 41.0% from the field. Still, with his high usage rate and rebounding prowess, he made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA First Team and finished fourth in MVP voting that season. The Hawks also won the NBA title that season, marking the lone championship of Pettit’s career.

Pettit averaged 40 minutes over the 72 games that he played in 1959-60. He made the most of his hefty workload, averaging 26.1 points and 17.0 rebounds per game. That helped him make the All-Star team, earn All-NBA First Team honors and finish third in MVP voting.

Pettit had one of the best seasons of his career in 1958-59. He appeared in 72 games, and while his average of 16.4 rebounds per game was impressive, he also dominated offensively. He led the NBA by averaging 29.2 points per game. He also led the league in field goals made per game (10.0), free throws made per game (9.2) and free throws attempted per game (12.2). His robust contributions helped him make the All-Star team, be named All-NBA First Team and win the regular season MVP award. Pettit played his entire career for the Hawks, averaging 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game. He made 11 All-Star teams, won two MVP awards and was named All-NBA First Team 10 times. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.