The 2005–06 NBA season was the Atlanta Hawks' 57th season in the National Basketball Association, and 38th season in Atlanta. After finishing the previous season with the worst record, the Hawks selected Marvin Williams out of the University of North Carolina with the second overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. During the offseason, the team acquired Joe Johnson from the Phoenix Suns, and signed free agent Zaza Pachulia. However, tragedy struck as center Jason Collier suffered a heart attack during the preseason and died suddenly on October 15. The Hawks would stumble out of the gate again losing their first nine games the same as the Toronto Raptors, on their way to an awful 2–16 start. Tony Delk was released to free agency after one game, and later signed with the Detroit Pistons. However