Microsoft And XBOX To Become New Partners Of The Atlanta Hawks
April 22, 2022
The Atlanta Hawks today announced a multi-year partnership with Microsoft Corp, including Xbox, that aims to provide opportunities and resources in underserved areas of Atlanta through sport, technology and community programming.
“We are thrilled to partner with Microsoft and Xbox and leverage their incredible technology with the next generation of Atlantans,” said Atlanta Hawks’ Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships Michael Drake. “As technology continues to evolve and play more of a role in the day-to-day lives of our city’s youth, we find it crucial to have an innovative community partner in Microsoft who shares a similar vision in how sports and technology intertwine.”
Microsoft believes in the opportunities that can be created by growing access to and passion for technology among youth. With their growing presence in Atlanta, they are committed to creating those opportunities throughout the city. That’s why Microsoft is particularly excited about the partnership with the Hawks with whom they will launch STEM and basketball-themed programming this summer as part of the Hawks’ community court summer tour.
“Seeing the passion for basketball in and around Atlanta, we’re excited to bring custom STEM-themed basketball camps to kids in the community to combine their love of the game and interest in technology,” said Jeff Hansen, general manager of strategic partnerships at Microsoft. Chris Munson, Senior Global Xbox Sports Partnerships Manager added, “At Xbox, our mission is to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We are excited to partner with the Atlanta Hawks to bring to life our core message – Power Your Dreams – which not only celebrates the values of diversity and inclusion shared by Xbox and the Hawks, but spurs fans imagination when two creative teams come together.”
To tip off the partnership, the Hawks and Microsoft, partnered on providing a magical moment to one youth member from BlazeSports America, a nonprofit organization founded after the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and a leader in the field of adaptive sports and recreation. Showing how anyone can be an athlete or a gamer, the Hawks and Microsoft provided a series of experiences to encourage the participating youth and his team to continue pursuing their dreams both on and off the court.
The experiences included an inspirational Teams chat with Microsoft employee and Paralympian Kim Robins, moderated by NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, aimed at inspiring the team both ahead of their run at a national championship and beyond. Watch the video HERE. The Hawks will also team up with Microsoft on future community-related philanthropic initiatives throughout the partnership.
