The Atlanta Hawks shouldn’t be in this position. After three months of NBA play, the Hawks are the No. 2 team in the NBA and have wins over title contenders such as Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, L.A. Clippers and Cleveland Cavs.
But four months ago, the entire franchise appeared to be in shambles. A racial scandal rocked the Hawks, NBA and the city of Atlanta. In September, Hawks owner Bruce Levenson wanted to put forth a theory as to why the Hawks could not sell tickets. Levenson blamed the overwhelming Black fans, hip-hop music and Black cheerleaders for scaring the White fan base.
Moreover, GM Danny Ferry was recorded making a racist remark regarding Loul Deng. Levenson agreed to sell his stake in the Hawks and Ferry was dismissed. However, the damage was done. Civil rights leaders in Atlanta called for a boycott of the Hawks, and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed spoke out against the racist comments.
NBA players were shocked to have another racist scandal months after the Donald Sterling debacle. New York Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony warned that potential free agents would not want to play for the Hawks. Nobody would want to play there,” Anthony said “I think it was uncalled for. From an owner, from a GM, those are not things you play with. As a player, we’re looking for a job, we’re trying to find a place where we can move our family, where we can make our family comfortable. But those comments right there, we would never look at the franchise. I’m speaking on behalf of all athletes. We would never look at a situation like that.”
However, the Hawks franchise did more to reach out to the community and hired Nzinga Shaw to serve as diversity and inclusion officer. On opening night, T.I. performed three concerts and spoke about the how the Hawks were able to move forward.
“All of these components must click on the most productive cylinders for the city to thrive and maximize the benefit,” T.I. said. “I think that has been done with Atlanta and with the Hawks and how they’ve made adjustments by getting the wrong people out and bringing the right people in. … Out with the things that people are tired of seeing and brought in some things that people haven’t seen before. They’re focusing more attention on the positives by highlighting the strengths and offsetting the weaknesses. I think that shows growth and shows evolution. It shows that you care about the future and the progression of this franchise and you care about contributing so the city can thrive. I think that’s what the adjustments show me.”
Led by coach Mike Bud’s pass heavy offense, Jeff Teague’s speed, Al Horford’s power, and Paul Milsap’s clutch shooting, the Hawks have shocked the NBA. As 2015 begins, the Hawks are no longer the NBA’s forgotten team. For the first time since the days of Dominique Wilkins, the Hawks are now legit contenders.
