NBA: 5 Franchises with the Longest Championship Droughts

#2 Atlanta Hawks, last title 1958 - 60 years

Bob Pettit is the best player in franchise history and led them to their only title.

It's been 60 years since the Hawks franchise has tasted championship glory, and the city of Atlanta has never seen it. The Hawks won their only title when they were the St. Louis Hawks, defeating the Bill Russell led Boston Celtics, right before the Celtics ripped off eight straight titles. This early Hawks team was one of the best in the small NBA, making the Finals four times in five years and since have never returned to the championship round.

They have been a pretty successful franchise through the years, stringing together playoff streaks of seven and 10 years, but they have never been blessed with a top 5 talent on their team. They have shown they can be highly competitive, even winning 60 games and earning the one seed in the East in the 2015 season. But that year was a perfect encapsulation of their franchise, as they were really good but ran into a LeBron James-led team that just had a player who was vastly superior to anyone on their team.

Now, after 10 straight playoff appearances, they have chosen to go full rebuild and are currently 20-49. They have never been able to attract a top 5 talent in free agency, so it's fitting they have chosen the draft as the best way to find this talent. Currently, they are giving a lot of run to young players, hoping they can round into top-flight role players and complementary starters so when they draft a top 5 player they are ready to compete for titles.