ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks teamed up with the ‘85 South Show’ for a special in-game spotlight during the game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
The ‘85 South Show consists of comedians DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller and Chico Bean and they are best known for their appearances on the MTV series ‘Wild ‘N Out.’ The trio hosts comedy shows across the United States, have more than two million subscribers and more than 500 million independent views.
Before a four-piece merchandise capsule launch on Friday, March 4, the trio made a courtside appearance, cheering on the home team.
“It’s a beautiful feeling,” Bean said. “I never sat this close at a basketball game ever, so I appreciate the Hawks for making my dream come true of being able to see the game from the game.”
The capsule included two hoodies, one long-sleeve shirt and one short-sleeve t-shirt, sold exclusively in the multiple Hawks shop locations inside State Farm Arena.
‘It’s a sign that we’re doing something right,” Bean said. “When we saw it in the shop it was like, ‘wow, we really got to a place that a lot of people probably didn’t think we would be able to.’”
“Me being from the ATL, just to see the Hawks embrace our situation, it feels good,” DC Young Fly said. “That partnership and just having that resource, it’s just love.”
Hawks fans got to get in on the action during a time out as a select section got free t-shirts, celebrating the event as well as screen time on the jumbotron with the comedians.
The action from the group didn’t stop in the stands, the trio appeared on the court, rooting on three fans that were chosen to compete in the ‘Kia Performance Skills Challenge’ during halftime. DC Young Fly also ran through the challenge after the winner was declared.
Miller, carrying a WWE championship belt throughout the night was even suited up, hopeful for some in-game action. “I have my warmup suit on just in case they need one more,” he said. “I’m optimistic that I’m going in.”
“For the Hawks to be as big of a brand outside of the actual sport, to just give us the opportunity to try to prove ourselves as an up and coming brand, it really just shows us a lot about businesses and where this could potentially lead us,” Miller said.
When asked about venturing out to other Atlanta sports, the trio was fully on board.
“The Hawks brought us in last year and they went to the Eastern Conference Finals,” Bean said. “So you know, the Falcons, they might need to hit us up so they can make the playoffs.”
Miller and Bean are not from Georgia, growing up in Mississippi and Washington D.C. respectively. However, Bean gives credit to Atlanta for welcoming outsiders.
“That’s the thing about Atlanta,” Bean said. “Atlanta is one of the cities in the country where you can be from somewhere else and get embraced the way that you do here.”