Lou Williams Last Hawks Player to Wear No. 6

The NBA is retiring the No. 6 in honor of Bill Russell.

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Moments ago, Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news that the NBA will retire the No. 6 league-wide to honor the late Bill Russell. 

The Boston Celtics legend is the most decorated player in league history, yet his most important contributions came off the court through his activism.

The NBA will retire the No. 6 league-wide honoring the late, legendary player and activist Bill Russell.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 11, 2022

According to Charania, players already wearing No. 6 (such as LeBron James) will be grandfathered. Lou Williams wore the No. 6 throughout his time with the Atlanta Hawks, including the 2021-22 NBA season. 

However, the team did not re-sign the unrestricted free agent after the season. So that makes Williams the last Hawks player ever to wear the jersey number. If Williams signs a contract with a new team, he will not be able to wear No. 6.

Lou Williams wore the No. 6 during his time with the Atlanta Hawks / © Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Eighteen other players in Hawks history have worn the uniform number. A few recent players include Omari Spellman, Pero Antic, and Kirk Hinrich.

Oddly enough, Cliff Hagan wore No. 6 for the St. Louis Hawks. On April 30, 1956, the Hawks traded Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. Although it was a terrible trade for the Hawks, both Hagan and Macauley went on to become Basketball Hall of Famers.

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