I’ll be the first one to admit that being an Atlanta Hawks fan is difficult, especially being from Massachusetts when you have millions of dedicated, hard-nosed Celtics fans around you.
I wasn’t always a Hawks fan. The Celtics had my heart for the majority of my childhood, referring back to the days I would think I was Paul Pierce when I’d play. Atlanta caught my eye in 2008 during a regular season game against Boston. A team that consisted of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Mike Bibby, and Marvin Williams. The game went down to the wire and posed a good deal of competition for Boston, the top team in the NBA during that time. The Hawks lost, but they gained a new fan.
Joe Johnson was a guy who I grew to love. Anyone who knows Johnson knows that he’s an offensive force, especially late-game. He was the Harden before Harden, and he can get to his spots on the court just about anytime he wants. His humble mentality is what I loved the most because he never ran to the media for anything. Johnson grew on me since that game in 2008, and from that point on, I started supporting the Hawks.
To truly be a fan of a team you need to be there through the ups and downs. I have no respect for fans who jump from team to team based on talent. To really know what it feels like to be a fan you need to feel the heartbreak after a loss, deal with the rebuild (if there is one), and then be happy when your team wins.
Now, my team is in a full rebuild with the future in the hands of Taurean Prince and John Collins. Hopefully, Atlanta can come out successful in the draft with the third pick. A blessing from Lil B means I’m even more confident.
I understand being a Hawks fan in Boston is blasphemous in the words of Stephen A. Smith, but I signed up for it!