Cliff Hagan, the smooth left-handed forward who helped deliver the St. Louis Hawks’ only NBA championship and later entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, died Thursday at 94.
Hagan spent all 10 seasons of his NBA playing career with the Hawks after arriving in 1956 from the University of Kentucky. He became one of the franchise’s steady frontcourt pieces in St. Louis, making five All-Star teams and earning two All-NBA selections.
His defining NBA season came in 1958, when the Hawks won the championship. Hagan’s role on that title club placed him alongside the core that carried St. Louis past the Boston Celtics in the Finals, a banner that remains central to the franchise’s history.
Before reaching the league, Hagan had already won an NCAA championship at Kentucky. His career later stretched beyond the NBA after he left the Hawks in 1966, though he first remained close to the organization through Hawks television and radio broadcasts.
Hagan returned to the floor in the ABA’s first season, 1967-68, serving as player-coach for the Dallas Chaparrals. He was selected as an ABA All-Star during that comeback run before stepping away from playing early in the 1969-70 campaign.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, recognizing a career that crossed championship college basketball, the Hawks’ St. Louis title years and the ABA’s opening chapter.
The NBA said it was deeply saddened by Hagan’s death and offered condolences to his family and the Hawks organization, noting his championship contributions in St. Louis and his long record in professional basketball.
