The Cleveland Daily Banner Sunday, January 10, 2016

www.clevelandbanner.com Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 10, 2016—21 Atlanta embraces rap shows after remarks ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks are collaborating with bigname hip-hop artists like T.I., Ludacris and Big Boi in what the team calls an effort to make amends after it was revealed two officials made racially charged remarks in separate incidents. The artists were brought in by the NBA franchise to perform during halftime and after Hawks’ home games months since former general manager Danny Ferry’s insensitive comment about Sudanese-born Luol Deng came to light in September 2014. Soon after, an internal investigation revealed that former co-owner Bruce Levenson complained in a 2012 email that blacks kept potential white fans away from games. Both came on the heels of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist remarks that were a public relations nightmare for the NBA. Both have severed ties with the Hawks, who have since adopted the slogan “True to Atlanta” and apologized in an open letter to the city. T.I. was enlisted to appear in a commercial with Hawks CEO Steve Koonin to urge fans to attend the home opener, where he performed. Many Hawks fans have granted their forgiveness. Since the 2014 home opener, the Hawks have had 39 sellouts and an average attendance of 17,246 in the regular season including playoffs, according to the team. The Hawks’ home arena seats about 18,000. “I don’t go to games to watch the owners,” said season ticket holder Randy Kessler, who is white. “I attend games to see the world’s best athletes compete. It’s an added benefit to see entertainers like T.I. perform. It was a great move for the Hawks.” T.I. had performed at games before the racial incidents and had an established relationship with franchise officials. But the performances have become more frequent since Ferry and Levenson’s remarks were made public. He and Koonin both say there’s a mutual benefit: The performances help sell tickets and help the rappers push new projects and merchandise. The rapper said the idea for music artists to perform at Hawks games originated several years ago when Hannah Kang from his Grand Hustle Records label pitched the concept to the team. In the past two seasons, 2 Chainz, Jeezy, CeeLo Green, Rich Homie Quan, Big Grams and Silento have performed at games. Most of the performers are Atlanta residents. The artists aren’t paid, Koonin said, though some donations have been made to charitable organizations in their name in the past, including $25,000 to CeeLo’s foundation. However, Jesse Mills, who runs an Atlanta-based branding agency, cautioned that consumers may see the Hawks’ efforts as a marketing ploy. He said blending hip-hop performances with games was a smart strategic move to help rebuild initial trust in the black fan base, but he warned those rap shows would ultimately alienate whites and offend some blacks. Season ticket holder Vanessa McLemore, who is black, agreed the Hawks should look for more diversity in their musical guests moving forward. But she said the primary reason fans have attended games has been because the Hawks set a franchise-record 60 wins and earned a spot in the Eastern Conference final last season. AP photo rAPPer t.I. performs before the start of an NBA basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta in this Nov. 1, 2014, file photo. The Hawks are collaborating with big-name hip-hop artists like T.I., Ludacris and Big Boi in what the team calls an effort to make amends after it was revealed two officials made racially charged remarks in separate incidents. Paul leads Clippers by Hornets AP photo ChICAgo Bulls guArd Derrick Rose (1) drives into Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) in the first half Saturday, in Atlanta. Horford, Millsap lead Hawks’ in 120-105 blowout of Bulls ATLANTA (AP) — Al Horford thinks the Atlanta Hawks are finally showing how good they can be. “Moving the ball, hustling on defense and trying to do it consistently — as a team I feel like we have some lapses in those areas,” Horford said. “When we’re able to be more consistent on the defensive end, we’re just a totally different team.” Horford scored a season-high 33 points and had 10 rebounds, Paul Millsap added 18 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 120-105 on Saturday night. Jimmy Butler scored 14 of his 27 points in the F

The Cleveland Daily Banner Sunday, January 10, 2016 | Page 21