Atlanta Hawks

What Atlanta Hawks does

The Atlanta Hawks are a privately held professional NBA franchise competing in the league's Southeast Division, operating continuously in Atlanta since 1968 under the current entity (with franchise roots tracing to 1946 as the Buffalo Bisons). The team is owned by Tony Ressler's ownership group, which acquired the franchise in 2015 with Grant Hill joining as a minority co-owner, and the franchise carries an estimated Forbes valuation of approximately $2.3 billion as of 2024. Dyal Capital Partners holds a minority investment following a 2022 transaction. The Hawks employ 251-500 staff supporting basketball operations, front-office functions, and game-day operations at their Atlanta home arena.

The franchise generates revenue through the standard NBA economic stack: gate receipts and ticket sales, local and league-level media rights, corporate sponsorships, merchandise sales distributed via the NBA Store and team channels, and NBA League Pass streaming subscriptions. Distribution is anchored by the NBA's national broadcast partnerships and the team's own multi-network regional simulcast agreement covering 11 games in 2025-26 across WANF-TV (free over-the-air), Peachtree Sports Network, and FanDuel Sports Network. Customer-facing digital surface includes the official NBA mobile app and team website (nba.com/hawks). Beyond basketball, the Hawks Foundation operates community programs including the HBCU Pathways paid-internship initiative with Georgia Power (fourth year in 2025-26) and charitable healthcare partnerships such as the joint prostate cancer awareness campaign with the Ressler Gertz Family Foundation and Emory Healthcare.

The franchise's commercial posture emphasizes regional brand-building and partnership-driven revenue diversification rather than direct-to-consumer technology monetization. Roster management is active, exemplified by the February 2026 acquisition of Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Luke Kennard. Notable internal risk: a former employee was indicted in November 2025 for allegedly stealing nearly $4 million from the franchise, underscoring governance and internal-control considerations.

Name

Atlanta Hawks

Legal name

Atlanta Hawks

Website

https://nba.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Atlanta Hawks are a privately held NBA franchise operating in Atlanta since 1968, owned by Tony Ressler's group, serving regional fans through live basketball, multi-network broadcast simulcasts, NBA League Pass streaming, merchandise, corporate sponsorships, and community engagement programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Entertainment

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Basketball Leagues (MPAKAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Athlete & Team Sponsorship Deals (Official Partners, Jersey/Kit Sponsors) (MPAKALAA), Professional Live Sports Leagues & Tours (MPAGAMAA)

Keywords

• Professional basketball team
• NBA franchise operations
• Live sports entertainment
• Sports broadcasting rights
• Team merchandise sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Atlanta Hawks operate a professional NBA basketball franchise, delivering live sports entertainment to Atlanta-area fans and national/international audiences through regional broadcast agreements and NBA League Pass streaming. The franchise also generates revenue from licensed team merchandise, corporate sponsorships, and community-facing programs such as the HBCU Pathways internship initiative and charitable giving partnerships with the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NBA Game Broadcasts (Atlanta Hawks)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Prostate Cancer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Atlanta Hawks Foundation and Ressler Gertz Family Foundation made a $150,000 joint donation ($75,000 each) to the Prostate Cancer Foundation during a game presented by Emory Healthcare. The donation brings their total partnership giving since 2019 to over $1 million, aimed at increasing prostate cancer awareness and supporting research initiatives for Black men who face 76% higher risk of developing the disease.
• Ressler Gertz Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Joint philanthropy partner with Atlanta Hawks Foundation for prostate cancer awareness, contributing $75,000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation as part of their ongoing charitable partnership since 2019.
• Emory HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Presented the prostate cancer awareness game where the $150,000 donation was made to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, serving as healthcare partner for the initiative.
• Georgia PowercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025Georgia Power and the Atlanta Hawks are collaborating to expand the HBCU Pathways program for a fourth year, providing paid internships to support students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Georgia across various departments to foster career development in sports, entertainment, and business.
• WANF-TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 November 2025Atlanta Hawks reached an agreement to simulcast 11 games this season on WANF-TV, making broadcasts accessible via free over-the-air and major pay-TV systems across Atlanta and surrounding regions.
• Peachtree Sports NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 November 2025Atlanta Hawks simulcast 11 games on Peachtree Sports Network as part of multi-network broadcast agreement for regional distribution.
• FanDuel Sports NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 November 2025Atlanta Hawks simulcast 11 games on FanDuel Sports Network as part of expanded broadcast agreement for regional sports coverage.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Charlotte Hornets: NBA Southeast Division rival and direct competitor; operates the same product (NBA basketball) for the same league, with comparable revenue mix and market-tier positioning to the Hawks.
• Miami Heat: NBA Southeast Division peer competing in the same division; same league economics, comparable franchise-scale, and overlapping broadcast/distribution model through RSNs and NBA League Pass.
• Orlando Magic: NBA Southeast Division peer with similar market size and franchise profile; directly comparable on product (NBA basketball), revenue mix, and competitive economics.
• Washington Wizards: NBA Southeast Division rival; directly comparable on product offering, league revenue share, and franchise-tier positioning to the Hawks.
• Memphis Grizzlies: NBA Western Conference team of similar market tier; directly comparable on product (NBA basketball), revenue mix, and mid-market franchise dynamics.
• New Orleans Pelicans: NBA Western Conference team of similar market tier; directly comparable on product (NBA basketball), revenue mix, and franchise-scale dynamics to the Hawks.
• Cleveland Cavaliers: NBA Eastern Conference team in a similar mid-market, privately-held position; directly comparable on product, broadcast model, and franchise economics.
• Boston Celtics: NBA Eastern Conference franchise offering the same product (NBA basketball) with a premium on-court profile; comparable on revenue mix and league economics, and a relevant benchmark for franchise-value upside.
• Los Angeles Lakers: NBA flagship franchise and trade counterparty for the Hawks in the Kennard deal; same product (NBA basketball) at the top end of the franchise-value spectrum, providing a relevant upper-bound valuation benchmark.

Broad incumbents

• Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. Publicly traded sports holding company (Knicks, Rangers) with a broader portfolio; comparable on the professional-team-ownership business model, league revenue-share economics, and asset-class dynamics relevant to the Hawks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ATLHawks
• Facebookfacebook.com/atlhawks
• Instagraminstagram.com/atlhawks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atlhawks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atlanta Hawks