WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – On Wednesday night, Nathan Knight '20 continued to write his name in the William & Mary history books, even as a member of the National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks. Knight became just the second player in program history to appear in an NBA game as part of the Hawks' season-opening 124-104 win over the Chicago Bulls.
 
Knight played five minutes and pulled down three rebounds in his NBA debut. He became only the second Tribe player to appear in an NBA game, joining Brant Weidner who played for the San Antonio Spurs in 1984.
 
In November, Knight signed a two-way contract with the Hawks and was the third Tribe player in the last four years to ink an NBA deal. Daniel Dixon '17 signed an Exhibit 10 deal and appeared in a preseason game for the Boston Celtics in 2017, while Marcus Thornton '15, who was a second-round pick of the Celtics in 2015, signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018.

Knight appeared in two preseason NBA games for the Hawks, scoring two points and pulling down four rebounds in nine minutes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Knight was one of 60 players selected to take part in the virtual NBA Draft Combine.
 
Knight flourished during his time in Williamsburg. He was named the National Mid-Major Player of the Year by a pair of publications this past season, including taking home the Lou Henson Award from CollegeInsider.com. Knight averaged 20.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in 2019-20, while leading the country in player efficiency rating (35.0) and ranking second in double-doubles (23). Knight became just the second player in league history to be named both the CAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. For the second-straight season, he was also selected as one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.
 
In the classroom, Knight earned his degree from W&M's prestigious Raymond Mason School of Business in business analytics with a concentration in finance. Named to the Dean's List this year, he was also selected as one of 10 finalists nationally for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.