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The Atlanta Hawks today announced a multi-year contract extension for Executive Vice President and General Manager Billy Knight, according to Atlanta Spirit President and CEO Bernie Mullin. Knight, entering his second full season as the team's General Manager, adds the additional title of Executive Vice President to his responsibilities. As is team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"Billy Knight has a great track record for building winning teams in the NBA," says Steve Belkin, Atlanta Hawks Board of Managers and Governor. "We challenged him to form a team that will play an up-tempo, exciting and competitive style of basketball and in less than a year, Billy has done this. He has significantly upgraded our roster by adding young, athletic players and key veterans who know how to win. He's also assembled a new coaching staff that has NBA Championship experience. Billy's plan for improving this club now and for the long term is taking shape and we're thrilled to have him as part of our family for many years to come."

"Not since the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2002-03 to 2003-04, has an NBA team dramatically changed its look," said Mullin, "and the credit goes to Billy Knight. It was his vision to create the financial flexibility to enable us to become a better franchise for years to come, and this was the first step as we return this organization to respectability. We are pleased to reward Billy for his hard work and determination in restarting the process."

Viewed as one of the league's expert talent evaluators, Knight has totally revamped the Hawks basketball operations division since the end of the 2003-04 season, bringing in longtime friend Mike Woodson as the team's new head coach and acquiring 11 new faces between the draft or via trade to compete for positions on this year's roster.

"I'm very pleased and excited to be a part of the Hawks long term plans," said Knight. "From the very beginning, our Ownership Group and Bernie Mullin have displayed a great deal of confidence in my abilities. They have allowed me the latitude to change everything, and institute what I feel is the right atmosphere and culture for our team to be successful. I appreciate everything about being associated with the Hawks and living in Atlanta, I plan on working even harder to make sure we are a valued asset to this community."

Knight, who originally joined the team as the Director of Basketball Operations when he was hired by then-GM Pete Babcock prior to the 2002-03 season, assumed the GM's post in April of '03 when Babcock was relieved of his duties. During that offseason, Knight's rebuilding plan started with the selection of Boris Diaw in the 2003 Draft, and his changes accelerated when he obtained the $12 million contract of Terrell Brandon from Minnesota in a four-team trade that sent Glenn Robinson to Philadelphia and included a future first round draft pick. Brandon's contract exited the Hawks' books when the team released him in February 2004.

His roster maneuvering continued a few weeks later when he traded Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff and Dan Dickau to the Portland Trail Blazers for Rasheed Wallace prior to the February trade deadline. By dismantling a high-priced, underachieving squad, Knight believed it was more important to give the franchise a better opportunity to become a major force in the league by building the foundation through the draft and free agency.

Wallace's move to the Pistons and the first round pick acquired by Knight allowed the Hawks to have a second first round pick in this year's draft, and Josh Smith, a local prep star from Powder Springs (GA) High who spent his final high school season at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, joined Stanford's Josh Childress as the young cornerstones of the franchise.

Over the summer, Knight continued to add roster depth and experience by obtaining All-Star Antoine Walker and rising star Al Harrington, to go along with key veterans like Kenny Anderson, Jon Barry and Kevin Willis, as he continued to establish his foundation and guide the team in the right direction as it moves forward.

The 52-year-old Knight came to the Hawks after a successful stint as the General Manager of the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies. His keen eye of basketball talent netted a number of key acquisitions in his two years with the Grizzlies, one of which ironically, involved the Hawks. On June 27, 2001, Knight - then with Memphis - sent Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Atlanta for Lorenzen Wright, Brevin Knight and the draft rights of Pau Gasol. Gasol's outstanding rookie season culminated in the first-year sensation winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. That same draft, the Grizzlies selected former Duke standout and National College Player of the Year Shane Battier with the sixth overall pick.

In his first season in Vancouver (2000-01), the team recorded 23 victories, which at that time was the most in franchise history.

Prior to his stint with the Grizzlies, Knight spent several productive seasons as a player and front office executive with the Indiana Pacers. A former player dating back to their days in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA, he ended his eight-year career as the Pacers' all-time leading scorer with 10,780 points. Currently the franchise's third all-time leading scorer, Knight's contributions to the Pacers have him listed among the team's top five lists in five statistical groups, and ranking in the top 10 in 14 different categories.

Named an NBA All-Star in the Pacers' inaugural season in the league (1976-77), Knight finished that year as the league's second-leading scorer (behind Pete Maravich) with an average of 26.6 points per game. Over his 11 pro seasons he averaged 16.9 ppg as a player with Boston, Buffalo (Braves), Kansas City (Kings) and San Antonio, as well as Indiana. He earned two other berths on the NBA All-Star team and one appearance in the ABA All-Star game. In 1975, Knight was selected to the ABA's All-Rookie team.

A five-year executive with the Pacers, he spent the last two years as the team's Senior Vice President for Basketball Operations in charge of pro, college and international scouting, a well as all daily operations within the basketball department, under the direction of President Donnie Walsh.

An All-American at the University of Pittsburgh, Knight was the seventh overall pick in the 1974 ABA Draft. The Pittsburgh native attended Braddock High School. He has previously competed as a state-ranked tennis player.