In surprising news, the Atlanta Hawks announced Wednesday morning that the team’s home stadium would be renamed State Farm Arena.
The modern NBA is all about change. Players are empowered to switch teams willy-nilly, and arenas and stadiums are renamed constantly. Both of those facts have been true of the Atlanta Hawks this offseason, as they’ve turned over almost their entire roster from last year and now the franchise announced a new stadium name for the 2018-19 season.
Philips Arena has been the home arena of the Atlanta Hawks for nearly 20 years – first opening up in 1999.
During the arena’s run, the Hawks have seen some heady days, such as the 10-year run of playoff appearances, which ended last year, as well as the enchanting 60-win team of 2014-15, which sent 4 players to the All-Star Game: Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague.
Philips has also seen some of the worst of the Atlanta Hawks’ history, such as last season’s ramshackle roster, and, even worse, the frankly horrifying 13-69 team of 2004-05.
Philips Arena has seen players such as Jason Terry, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Al Horford, Paul Millsap and even Dwight Howard join and then leave the team after finding success in a Hawks uniform – or flaming out.
After it was revealed that Philips would be undergoing huge restorations this offseason, it was announced on Wednesday, August 29 that the arena would also be renamed State Farm Arena in a 20-year/$175 million deal for the naming rights of the stadium.
https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1034825773608312832
Surprisingly, that cool $175 million was actually $10 million less than what Philips paid to have its name on the Hawks’ home arena, which seems odd.
If reported numbers are true, State Farm just bought the naming rights to the fourth busiest arena in the country for less than $9 million a year. This is an absolute heist for them. https://t.co/zYD55fqjhQ
— Jaryd Wilson (@JarydWilson) August 29, 2018
After undergoing a $192 million renovation this offseason, the new Atlanta Hawks home arena is sure to have plenty for both locals and tourists alike to enjoy, and, hopefully, the Hawks will have much more tantalizing on-court talent to enjoy while at the newly minted stadium as well.
Clearly, the Hawk franchise is trying to recapture the fan base after a lackluster campaign. Who knows, maybe Hawks fans will take up the mantle of State Farm with gusto by singing: “Like a good neighbor, Trae Young is there!”