The Atlanta Hawks Foundation Unveiled The Largest Court Renovation To Date At Central Park On Saturday, March 31

April 3,2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 4/2/18
CONTACT: Garin Narain, Janet Smith or Jelani Downing, Hawks Communications (404) 878-3800

THE ATLANTA HAWKS FOUNDATION UNVEILED THE LARGEST COURT RENOVATION TO DATE AT CENTRAL PARK ON SATURDAY, MARCH 31

Celebration Presented by Verizon Included the Unveiling of Four Courts

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks Foundation unveiled four state-of-the-art outdoor basketball courts at the Center of Hope at Central Park in Old Fourth Ward on Saturday, March 31. The ceremony celebrated the 13th location to receive new or refurbished playing surfaces and marked the foundation’s largest project yet, as the organization teamed with Verizon to provide four new courts.

Central Park features multi-purpose fields and a small playground for children, and an indoor recreation center, which includes a basketball court, weight room and meeting rooms. With the addition of these courts at Central Park, residents in the Midtown and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods now have greater access to playable basketball courts. 

“Partnering with Central Park was a tremendous opportunity for us to share our love of basketball through both the Old Fourth Ward and Midtown neighborhoods,” said Steve Koonin, CEO, Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club. “We look forward to returning to the courts in a couple of weeks.”

Bob Rathbun, the Play-By-Play Announcer for FOX Sports Southeast emceed the event. Speakers on the program included Atlanta Hawks guard Kent Bazemore, City of Atlanta Councilmember Amir R. Farokhi of District 2 and City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Amy Phuong. 

Verizon was on site as a presenting sponsor of the four courts and distributed premiums to those in attendance. 

"Verizon is committed to the communities where we live and work," said Russ Preite, president - South East Market for Verizon Wireless. "We are extremely proud to partner with the Hawks to help create a space that those in the Midtown and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods can enjoy."  

This is the 13th court that the Atlanta Hawks Foundation has completed with developer CBA Sports, a local company based that specializes in sports construction, since the summer of 2015. 

The Atlanta Hawks Foundation identifies and selects locations following an in-depth analysis of the strength of their basketball programs, the level of community access to existing basketball courts, and the park’s ability to maintain and program the space. As a result of the efforts put forth by the Atlanta Hawks Foundation and its partners in local city and county government, over 1,000,000 residents in Metropolitan Atlanta now have greater access to basketball courts.

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club will return to these courts at Central Park on Saturday, April 14, for the inaugural Sharecare Heartbeat Festival that includes a citywide three-versus-three basketball tournament.

For more information on the Atlanta Hawks community initiatives visit http://www.nba.com/hawks/community-main-page. 

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With a bold identity and strong new ownership, the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and Philips Arena remain committed to making Atlantans proud on the court and off. The 2014-15 Southeast Division Champions, the Hawks have made the postseason in 10 consecutive seasons and reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history in 2015. Off the court, the organization has built a culture of inclusion, diversity and innovation, all with a touch of Southern Hospitality. It continues into the community where the organization builds bridges through basketball, whether by constructing and refurbishing courts in Atlanta neighborhoods, providing scholarships to our basketball camps, or surprising and delighting our fans with unique Atlanta Hawks experiences. Atlanta Hawks Membership, which includes your seat for every home game for the 2017-18 regular season, is on sale now at www.hawks.com/membership or by calling 866-715-1500! For more information on the Hawks, log on to www.hawks.com today or follow us on twitter @ATLHawks.

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