ATLANTA -– Earlier tonight at the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club’s 2018-19 Preview Event, the franchise announced key plans regarding the 2018-19 season, the future of their business and the transformation of Philips Arena. Held at Terminal West, Atlanta Hawks Chief Executive Officer Steve Koonin outlined the vision and provided details of the following major campaigns:
- 50th Anniversary Celebration – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise’s move to Atlanta, the Hawks unveiled a season-long campaign to pay homage to the players, coaches and personalities that make up Atlanta Hawks Basketball. The team revealed a commemorative uniform and logo and specialty court which the team will play on nine times during the 2018-19 season.
- Hardwood Classic Jersey – in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the club’s move to Atlanta from St. Louis, the Hawks will wear the first jersey they wore in Atlanta this season – a powder blue and red-trimmed uniform that was worn most famously by Lou Hudson for just one season in 1968.
- Hawks Talon Gaming Club – earlier today, the NBA announced that the Hawks were one of four expansion teams joining the league’s now 21-team NBA 2K League. The Hawks become the first Atlanta professional sports team with its own Esports team.
- College Park G League Affiliate – The College Park franchise will tip off their inaugural season during the 2019-20 campaign at The Gateway Center @ College Park, a state-of-the-art venue that broke ground this past spring.
- Opening Week – with the release of the NBA schedule, the franchise finalized its first-week schedule starting off with a city-wide Open House at the new transformed Philips Arena on Oct. 20th. Atlanta’s own So So Def Recordings will celebrate 25 years of Southern hip hop and R&B with the So So Def 25th Anniversary Cultural Curren$y Tour on Oct. 21st. Trae Young, John Collins and the Hawks will play their home opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 24th in a nationally-televised game pitting two of the top 5 picks in the 2018 NBA Draft against each other. On Oct. 25th, hip hop superstars Nicki Minaj and Future join forces for their much-anticipated NickiHndrxx tour. The Chicago Bulls come to town on Saturday, Oct. 27th and WWE’s Smackdown rolls into the city’s best sports and live entertainment venue on Oct. 30th.
- Video Pavilions – combined with the soon-to-be 3rd largest center-hung scoreboard in the NBA at 4,477 square feet of active video display, the Arena announced plans to incorporate four massive video boards into each corner of the venue to push the total active video to nearly 12,000 square feet. With HD-quality, 6mm LED video display technology all throughout the building, the transformed venue will sport the best picture in professional sports.
- Restaurant Partners – Philips Arena continues to enhance their food experience with local flair, announcing the additions of several popular restaurants. Kandi Burruss, singer-songwriter and TV star, brings her Old Lady Gang restaurant and its southern fare to the venue. Gio’s Little Italia, J.R. Crickets, B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque and Rita’s Custard also join the enhanced food options.
“This upcoming season, our 50th year in Atlanta, is a unique opportunity to honor our history while continuing to reimagine how we engage and entertain our fans not only at our transformed Arena but virtually through media and gaming,” Koonin said. “Our fans, their interests and consumption continue to evolve, and we are committed to engaging them in innovative ways.”