Hawks embracing international connections at team’s practice facility
The Hawks are all about celebrating who they are.
So, they’ve added 19 flags to the wall of the team’s practice facility to highlight the unique backgrounds of the organization’s players and staff.
“So you realize how many different nationalities people representing different countries within the league and within the coaching staff and the team,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after the team’s practice Tuesday. “So we wanted to acknowledge that in some way, it’s who we are.”
The Hawks have 18 players participating in training camp, and 11 of them have international ties. Three of those players represented their national teams during the summer at the European Basketball Championship.
Australia
- Dyson Daniels
Canada
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- Caleb Houstan*
- Ashton Smith — Hawks assistant coach
Czech Republic
- Vit Krejci
France
- Bryan George — video coordinator/player development
- Zaccharie Risacher
Latvia
- Kristaps Porzingis
Mali
- N’Faly Dante
Nigeria
- Charles Bassey*
- Reggis Onwukamuche — Hawks assistant coach
- Ekpe Udoh — Hawks assistant coach
Senegal
- Mouhamed Gueye
Serbia
- Nikola Djurisic
Spain
- Eli Ndiaye — represents both Senegal and Spain
United States
- Jalen Johnson
- Luke Kennard
- Asa Newell
- Onyeka Okongwu — parents from Nigeria
- Jacob Toppin
- Keaton Wallace
- Trae Young
* Player on Exhibit 10 contract
The Hawks have several staff members who represent the other eight countries or territories, as displayed by their flags on the wall. Among them are Anguilla, China, Croatia, Japan, Mozambique, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom.
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