PrizePicks Atlanta Hawks Partnership Marks Operator’s First NBA Franchise Deal
PrizePicks has signed its first partnership with an NBA team, and it picked the one closest to home. The Atlanta-based sports entertainment operator announced a Proud Partner agreement with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. The deal hands PrizePicks brand integration across broadcasts, in-arena signage, digital platforms, and a dedicated PrizePicks Party Deck inside the arena.
Inside The PrizePicks Atlanta Hawks Partnership
The agreement is broad rather than narrow. PrizePicks will appear throughout the Hawks game-day experience: TV broadcasts, in-arena moments, and in-game stat updates designed to keep fans engaged from tip-off to final buzzer. The operator will also use imagery of certain groups of Atlanta Hawks players across the local market, a move aimed squarely at growing its fan community in the city where it was founded.
Two assets stand out. The first is the PrizePicks Party Deck, a premium hospitality space inside State Farm Arena built for Hawks games, concerts, comedy shows, and other events, complete with promotions, rewards, and fan activations. The second is presenting partnership of Hawks AF (And Friends), the team’s original podcast produced by Hawks Studios and hosted by Atlanta native D.C. Young Fly, which blends basketball, music, and culture.
Joey Molko, PrizePicks Senior Vice President of Partnerships, framed the deal as personal. He said the company was born in Atlanta, that basketball has always been part of its soul, and that landing its first NBA franchise partnership with the hometown team was a natural fit. The read here is simple. PrizePicks is leaning into local identity as a marketing asset, not just buying reach.
Why The Hometown Angle Matters For The Operator
Andrew Saltzman, President of Business Enterprise for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, called it a partnership between two organisations with deep Atlanta roots and pointed to new fan experiences as the shared goal. For the Hawks, being the first NBA franchise to partner with PrizePicks gives them an early-mover position with a fast-growing operator.
For PrizePicks, the logic runs deeper than signage. This deal lands earlier in 2026, after the company was named an Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner of the NBA. A league deal gives national legitimacy. A franchise deal gives local depth and a physical home inside an arena. Stacked together, they give PrizePicks both the credibility of the league badge and the on-the-ground presence that converts casual fans into players.
What Operators Should Take From This Deal
The signal for the wider industry is the shift from pure media buys toward experiential, owned-space activations. A Party Deck and a podcast presenting slot are not impressions on a screen. They are repeatable touchpoints that build habit. Operators weighing sponsorship budgets should note that PrizePicks is paying for relationships and environments, not just visibility.
Responsible gaming sits inside the story too. PrizePicks holds iCAP accreditation from the National Council on Problem Gambling, awarded in 2025, making it the first and only fantasy sports operator to earn the certification. As it pushes into more markets, that credential becomes part of the pitch to teams and regulators alike.
Future Outlook For PrizePicks NBA Partnerships
The hometown deal looks like a template. PrizePicks now operates in more than 45 jurisdictions, and pairing its NBA league partnership with a single franchise deal gives it a model it can repeat in other NBA markets over the next 6 to 12 months. Watch for whether Atlanta becomes the first of several franchise tie-ups, and whether rival operators answer with arena-level deals of their own. The league partnership opened the door. This one shows what PrizePicks intends to do with it.
Source: PrizePicks
