The Atlanta Hawks are not one of the teams invited to the “bubble” at Walt Disney World to resume the 2019 – 2020 NBA season, but the franchise is making news in other ways. Namely, a new set of logos and uniforms to debut whenever the 2020 – 2021 season tips off.

We’ve seen a lot of teams draw inspiration from the 1980s with recent logo changes – especially in baseball with the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and San Diego Padres – but the Hawks are going even further back with this new look, giving new meaning to the term, back to basics.

Sports Logo History

Atlanta Hawks Secondary Logo 2020 – Present

The Hawk logo (also referred to as the reverse Pac-Man logo) remains as the primary logo, and it’s being complemented by another circular logo – a red circle with lines to indicate a basketball, cut in the middle with HAWKS in a block font, also in what the team calls Torch Red, a color that represents an “unending quest for excellence, red-hot spirit, and fiery passion for the game,” the club said in a press release.

Another alternate logo features the same red basketball outline, but this one is filled in with yellow, another color that has always been a part of Hawks logos and uniforms. Instead of the team name written in the basketball, it’s instead ATL to symbolize the club’s hometown of Atlanta. Traditional block words of ATLANTA and HAWKS in red, yellow, white, and black also make up several different wordmark logos. 

The team says the new look, unlike some of the Hawks’ rebrands over the years, will be a timeless one.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for Atlantans to come together. We know sports has the power to unify, and for years, true Hawks fans have shared their passion for our classic colorways,” said Melissa Proctor, chief marketing officer for both the Hawks and State Farm Arena. “We have found a sweet spot of classic and modern for the future of the franchise. This new look will stand the test of time and exemplifies our brand mantra, forever True to Atlanta.”

After moving from St. Louis, the Hawks briefly adopted what has turned out to be their traditional color scheme of red, white, and yellow, but there was a dramatic departure to green and blue in 1971 and ’72. In 1973, the reverse Pac-Man logo debuted and remained unchanged through 1995.

Sports Logo History

Atlanta Hawks Secondary Logo 2020 – Present

At that point, a radical redesign took place. The logo changed to a Hawk spreading its wings and grabbing a basketball with its talons. This look somewhat resembled a logo that was used by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and ’57. The traditional colors remained in this logo until 2008, when the red remained, but yellow became gray and black became blue.

Finally, the reverse Pac-Man and traditional colors returned in 2015, coming back in a primary logo that’s surrounded by a red circle with ATLANTA HAWKS BASKETBALL written in white. This coin-type look remains what the club is calling the global logo through the rebrand that was just announced.

See the Atlanta Hawks logo history and team history.

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