In 1968, the St. Louis Hawks left the Show Me State and moved to Atlanta.
To celebrate their 50th anniversary in Atlanta, the Hawks are giving back to their home city this NBA season by completing 50 acts of service designed to help 50,000 people, the team said in a news release.
The charitable initiatives include public court renovations, community conversations, employee community service projects, basketball camps and clinics, as well as basketball equipment donations to Atlanta nonprofits. Hawks players, alumni and staff will participate in the service projects, and the first of these events was the team's participation in the annual Atlanta Pride Parade on Oct. 14.
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In addition, the Hawks have identified 50 people and organizations who “have epitomized being True to Atlanta” in the last half-century, and they’ll be recognized at home games throughout the season, the release said.
The team has many other special festivities planned for home games this season. State Farm Arena will sport a black and gold "50th Anniversary" court for a select 10 home games.
For two of those games, the team will partner with Budweiser to present “Celebrating 50 Years” games. The first one, which is Nov. 9 against the Detroit Pistons, will feature custom-made Nike City Edition Collection uniforms, and attendees will receive a co-branded towel.
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The second game, which is Jan. 15 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, will feature throwback uniforms with the 1968 team’s powder blue and red color scheme. There will also be a 50th anniversary commemorative coin giveaway.
Budweiser will also present a contest where fans can vote for the five best Hawks of all time through Dec. 9 at www.hawks.com/fanfive. The results will be announced at the Jan. 15 "Celebrating 50 Years" game.
The beer brand will also present the Hawks Heritage Hall, which is a digital timeline that begins with the announcement of the team’s move from Missouri to Georgia.
Needless to say, a lot has changed since the Hawks’ first-ever game in Atlanta, which was against the Cincinnati Royals at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
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