According to Joel Lorenzi, beat reporter for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mike Muscala, a former big man for the Atlanta Hawks, announced his retirement from the NBA after 11 seasons. On draft night in 2013, Muscala was acquired by the Hawks, and he played for them for the first five years of his career.
“Moose” gained popularity as a fan favorite while he was in Atlanta. With 18 total starts in 243 games, he shot 37.8% from three and 44.1% from the field while starting. Although Muscala had a poor three-point percentage of 31.3% while in college, he later developed into one of the league’s most accurate shooters from three. Muscala spent two of his five seasons with the Hawks shooting 40.0% or higher from three.
Although Muscala was a member of seven different teams, his tenure with the Hawks and Thunder is what made him most famous. Though his tenure back with OKC was brief, he ended his career there. This past March, the Thunder acquired Muscala through the buyout market, and the seasoned shooter concluded his 11-year career and the 2023–24 season with 16 games played for them.
Muscala is often associated with the Hawks teams from the mid-2010s, particularly the 2014–15 team that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals and won 60 games. As a youthful player with exceptional shooting ability, Musky provided the Hawks with reliable minutes as their stretch four.
Before spending his greatest years with the Thunder, Muscala briefly played for the Philadelphia Sixers and the Los Angeles Lakers before departing the Hawks in the 2018–19 season. Muscala averaged a career-high 9.7 points in 18.4 minutes per game during his second season with OKC.
Throughout his career, Muscala made nearly $30 million. He enjoyed an incredible collegiate basketball career at Bucknell University, where he participated in the tournament six times with three different teams. Muscala averaged 18.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and 50.9% shooting in his final year of college.
In spite of his close relationship with the Hawks, Muscala failed to reach his career high in scoring when playing Atlanta. In a trade during the 2022–23 season, the Boston Celtics acquired Muscala, and the big man immediately clicked. Moose scored 27 points in the Boston regular-season finale, going into the latter stages of his career. He defeated his previous squad by six points, making nine of his thirteen field goals.
As ardent Hawks supporters are aware, Muscala was a favorite of all. Musky was well-liked by teammates, coaches, and fans wherever he played.
Muscala was mentored by former Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer for his whole Hawks career. Coach Bud gave Muscala some very positive feedback during a press conference during the 2022–2023 campaign.
“Excellent individual. One of the greatest and all-time favorites is Musky. He will be adored by his coaches and teammates alike. On the court, he is an extremely skilled shooter. can play large as a player behind the 3-point line. He can move his feet, is really intelligent and savvy in how he guards the rim, and comprehends everything defensively.”
As he retires from professional basketball, Muscala should be extremely proud of his lengthy and fruitful NBA career. True Hawks supporters will always treasure Muscala’s tenure with the team.
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