page_title: Ben Kerner
section_title: Notable transactions
hierarchical_section_title: Ben Kerner / Notable transactions
caption_attribution_description: English: Boston Celtics center Bill Russell sitting on the bench next to head coach Red Auerbach.
context_page_description: Ben Kerner was an American professional basketball owner. He was the co-founder and owner of the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association, the present-day Atlanta Hawks.
  In 1946 along with business partner Leo Ferris, Kerner founded a professional team in Buffalo, New York, which became the Moline, Illinois-based Tri-Cities Blackhawks after a few games. Kerner moved the team to Milwaukee in 1951 and to St. Louis in 1955. His 1958 St. Louis Hawks won the NBA Championship.
context_section_description: During the 1946-47 season, Ferris and Kerner added Pop Gates to the Buffalo-Tri-Cities team. Gates finished second on the team in scoring, behind 1948 NBL MVP Don Otten. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player, Gates was a factor in integrating the league and the first African-American coach in a major league when he coached Dayton in 1948.
  Kerner hired Naismith Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, located in Moline, Illinois in 1949. When he discovered that Kerner had traded a player without consulting him, Auerbach left the Blackhawks to coach the Boston Celtics for the 1950-51 season and won a record nine NBA championships with the Celtics.
  In 1950, Kerner drafted Naismith Hall of Fame player Bob Cousy in the first round (number four) and sold him to the Chicago Stags. Cousy, reportedly unhappy to go to a small-town area, wanted $10,000 to sign with the Blackhawks and Kerner countered with $6,000 before selling him to the Stags. Cousy played for Auerbach in Boston when the Stags were sold, and played in 13 consecutive All-Star games.
  Kerner drafted Hall of Fame player Bob Pettit in the first round (number two) in 1954. Pettit, who averaged 26 points and 16 rebounds per game over his career, was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player in 1956 and 1959. At 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm), Pettit was a ten-time first-team All-NBA member and retired as the all-time leading NBA scorer. His 16.2 per-game rebound average is third in league history, behind Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. 
  In 1956, Kerner drafted Hall of Fame player Bill Russell as the second pick in the first round and traded him to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and former St. Louis University star Ed Macauley. Russell replaced Auerbach as coach of the Celtics, winning two titles as player-coach.
  From 1953-54 to 1956-57, the Hawks were coached by Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman. Holzman was replaced in 1956-57 by Hall of Fame coach Alex Hannum. Holzman later won two NBA championships with the New York Knicks, and Hannum led the Hawks to the NBA championship before he was fired after the title season.
  In 1960, Kerner drafted Hall of Fame player and coach Lenny Wilkens as the sixth pick of the first round. After retiring as a player, Wilkens coached for 32 NBA seasons and won over 1,300 games.
caption: Bill Russell and Red Auerbach in 1956
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