ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club began 2015 with an undefeated January, producing the first 17-0 month in NBA history, and will close December as one the 10 most-searched sports teams of the year, according to Google. The popular search engine today announced its #YearInSearch list, a detailed look into the year’s trendiest search topics, and the Hawks claimed high-ranking spots in the NBA (No. 3) and sports teams categories (No. 8).
The Hawks experienced a banner year in 2015, with unprecedented success on-and-off the court, contributing to the team’s surge in Google searches. January’s on-court success was coupled with “Swipe Right Night,” the NBA’s first theme night aided by popular people-connecting app Tinder. While February saw the club send four players and its coaching staff to All-Star Weekend, the club also made headlines for using 3D projection technology to display the feature film “Selma” on the Philips Arena floor as part of a Black History Month celebration.
A tribute to a legend and the club’s in-game concert series fueled the team’s web popularity this spring. Atlanta drew interest from around the league in March, when the Hawks honored Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins with a larger-than-life statue outside of the arena. Shortly thereafter, Atlanta-based hip-hop artists 2 Chainz and Ludacris each performed at Hawks home games and created unique merchandise to mark the occasions. May, June and July were also big news months for the organization – the team launched the first Emoji keyboard in professional sports, advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, rebranded itself with a new target audience, logos and colors, and announced a new ownership group led by Tony Ressler.
The Hawks garnered more attention at the close of summer by launching their basketball court renovation program for communities throughout Atlanta, announcing the retirement of Hall-of-Famer Dikembe Mutombo’s jersey, and launching an Ashley Madison-themed season ticket plan. The opening of the 2015-16 NBA season, paired with early-season performances by music stars Rich Homie Quan, Big Grams and Jeezy, has kept the Hawks top-of-mind for Google users around the world.
This is the second digital recognition the club has received this month, as the team’s Twitter handle (@ATLHawks) was recently named the No. 1 account in the NBA by Sports Illustrated and made the publication’s annual Twitter 100 list.
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