Five Reasons the NBA Should Want the Atlanta Hawks Picking First

Atlanta Hawks, John Collins (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Atlanta Hawks, John Collins (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta, Georgia skyline (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

5. The City of Atlanta

Top Ten Television Market

One reason that the NBA should Atlanta Hawks to Win the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, is the city of Atlanta is a great media market. It would be in the best interest of the league to see the local team thrive here. According mediatracks.com the Atlanta ranks number ten among designated market areas in the United States. To see the full list click here. Atlanta has ranked as high as number eight on this list in recent years.

Top Ten Basketball Market

Not only is the city of Atlanta a top ten television market, it is also a top NBA market as well. Despite the local Atlanta Hawks never reaching the NBA Finals, the city of Atlanta is consistently among the top ten in NBA Finals viewership. This 2015 AJC article written by Tim Tucker highlights the high ratings the NBA Finals received in the city Atlanta that season. Two years later JuliaKate E. Culpepper again placed the spotlight on the high television ratings that the NBA Finals drew in Atlanta, in this AJC article. With the NBA television ratings consistently that high for a city that does not have a participant in the Final Series, Imagine how high the ratings will be all season and post season long in the city, when the Atlanta Hawks are true NBA Finals contenders.

Capital of Top US State for Film Production

The state of Georgia has surpassed California for most films produced by location and several of those films are shot in and around the Metro Atlanta area. Atlanta is now the home of multiple major production studios, like Atlanta Metro Studios, Blackhall, Tyler Perry Studios and Pinewood Atlanta Studios. The numbers for 2018 have yet to come back, but according to a report by Film LA, the state of Georgia ranked as the number two place in the world for the production of top US films. Georgia trailed only Canada in producing such films. This is after the state ranked number one in the world in this category for 2016. In recent years blockbuster movies such as Selma, The Hunger Games, Black Panther, Capitan America Civil War, The Blind Side and Baby Driver, along with the Avengers End Game and Infinity Wars, plus many more have been filmed in Georgia. For a list of the top grossing movies shot in Georgia, take a look at this AJC article by Rodney Ho.

Atlanta is a Top City for Producing TV Shows

More than just movies, several top television shows have been shot in Georgia as well. Popular TV shows such as The Walking Dead, Archer, The Game, House of Payne and Teen Wolf were all filmed in the Metro Atlanta area. The popular Netflix series Ozark is also being produced in the Atlanta area. Atlanta is also a popular location for reality television shows. Shows such as Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, TI & Tiny the Family Hustle, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Auction Kings, Married to the Medicine and Atlanta, were also made in or around Georgia’s capital city. Atlanta is also where the set of NBA TV is located. Emmy Award winning show Inside the NBA, also makes its home in Atlanta at TNT Studios.

Atlanta, Georgia has become a star-studded city, that is home to a multitude of actors and athletes of every sport. It is widely known as the capital of the South and is the hub of Hip Hop culture and music production in the United States today. Atlanta is also a trend setter in the hair and fashion industry. Several stars such as comedian Chris Tucker, boxing legend Evander Holyfield, rappers Two Chains and Gucci Mane, along with the rap group Migos, are already regular attendees of Atlanta Hawks games. Imagine how many more stars will come out and support this team when they were championship contenders. This is something the NBA should definitely want to see happen.