Greg Ballard, a former Hawks assistant coach and scout for nine seasons, died Wednesday at the age of 61 after a battle with prostate cancer.
Ballard was with the Hawks from 2004-13. He served as an assistant coach under Mike Woodson for three seasons from 2004-07. He spent the past two seasons as a scout for the Wizards.
“He was a wonderful person and a great friend of mine,” Dominique Wilkins said. “That’s a big loss. What a wonderful person. One of the nicest people you ever want to meet. He will be missed.”
Ballard played 10 NBA seasons with the Bullets and Warriors from 1977-87. After a season away, he came back to play two games with the SuperSonics before ending his career. He played in 802 games and averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds. He helped the Bullets to an NBA title as a rookie in 1977. His best season came in 1981-82 when he averaged 18.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.
Ballard was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft out of Oregon. He remains the school’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,114 boards.
The Hawks held a moment of silence for Ballard before Wednesday’s game against the Bulls. They later issued the following statement: “The Atlanta Hawks organization would like to offer our deepest condolences to Donna, Lawrence, Gabrielle, Greg Jr. and their extended family. Greg was a terrific player and gifted athlete who later mentored an endless number of players around the league as a coach. His ever-present smile and joy for life were contagious and he will be missed by the Hawks family and the entire NBA.”
