ATLANTA — Hawks legend Lou Hudson played 13 seasons in the NBA, including 11 with the Hawks and his historic run will now forever be memorialized in basketball.
Hudson's name was on the list released Saturday of former players and coaches to be inducted as part of the 2022 class entering the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He will enter the Hall of Fame posthumously. Hudson died Friday, April 11, 2014, in Atlanta, at the age of 69.
Hudson, nicknamed "Sweet Lou," was drafted with the fourth overall pick by the then St. Louis Hawks in 1966.
He would remain with the Hawks as they moved to Atlanta in 1968 and stayed on the team's roster until 1977.
During his career in the NBA, which also included 2 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, he averaged 20.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
While wearing a Hawks jersey, Hudson scored 16,049 points, placing him behind only two of the team's other legends on its all-time scoring list.
Those players are Dominique Wilkins, 23292 points, and Bob Petit, 20880 points. Both are already in the Hall of Fame.
Hudson's jersey number 23 was retired by the Hawks. He is one of only five former Hawks players to receive that honor. Wilkins, Pettit, Dikembe Mutombo, and Pete Maravich also have their numbers hanging in the rafters of State Farm Arena.
Hudson played collegiate basketball for the University of Minnesota, which also retired his number.