The Hawks will continue to honor Atlanta and the legacy of the franchise when they debut their 2024-25 City Edition uniform in two weeks.
Though the jersey may look different from the design they wore last season, the story behind it remains the same. In collaboration with Nike and the NBA, the Hawks continue a two-year story arc that tells the narrative of the city they represent.
That’s why Melissa Proctor, Hawks executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said it was important for the jerseys to continue leaning into “Lift As We Fly” campaign.
Unlike last year’s black jerseys, this year’s will have a white and blue base. They’ve kept some of the other elements from last season’s jersey while also paying homage to the uniforms of their past.
“We really were inspired by some of our history,” Proctor said. “So, you look at the ‘Nique-era (Dominique Wilkins) uniform and some of that kind of the movement, and when you put it together and players are wearing it, it’s like a continuous line that really goes across the whole.”
The Hawks will utilize the same City Edition court as last year but they have added a new court decal as a tribute to the late Dikembe Mutombo, who died Sept. 30 and previously had his No. 55 jersey retired by the franchise. The Hawks will honor his life and legacy when the team debuts its Fly City Edition uniform Nov. 25.
“Unfortunately, with the passing of Dikembe Mutombo, at the beginning of the season, we wanted to find the best way that we could to really honor his legacy,” Proctor said. “And obviously we did on opening night and, we’ll continue to do things, but we decided that, you know, we thought, with all that he did as a humanitarian, the idea of ‘lift as we fly’ was really fitting.
“And so, we’re going to actually have a decal that’s going to go on our City Edition court this season every time we wear City Edition for the 10 games, which is a silhouette of him doing the finger wag with Mutombo 55 on it. And for opening night, you know, we’re going to honor him at halftime, his family. And so, we’re really, really excited about that, and how that connects to, lift as we fly, as our theme.”
The Hawks launched the campaign last season when they unveiled their City Edition jerseys.
The campaign also gave them the chance to highlight local businesses. This year, the Hawks will expand that. Ahead of the debut of the uniform, the Hawks will highlight six select businesses, one at a time, to encourage the community to support these businesses. Members from the Hawks Entertainment teams including Harry the Hawk and the ATL Hawks Dancers will host an event at each business and distribute free City Edition-themed hats.
“So, for us the idea of ‘lifting as we fly,’ really connecting what we do on the court to what we do in the community is so much of a part of our DNA as an organization,” Proctor said,
City Edition uniform schedule
• Nov. 25 vs. Mavericks
• Dec. 6 vs. Lakers
• Dec. 23 vs. Timberwolves
• Dec. 26 vs. Bulls
• Jan. 11 vs. Rockets
• Feb. 7 vs. Bucks
• Feb. 28 vs. Thunder
• March 8 vs. Pacers
• March 22 vs. Warriors
• March 23 vs. 76ers
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