The N.B.A.'s Hidden Game: Arranging Courtside Celebrities

New York Times

24-04-2025

As a top executive for the N.B.A.'s Atlanta Hawks, Levetta Futrell is responsible for negotiating contracts with halftime performers and managing a budget that steers her department's priorities. But sometimes her job requires fetching French fries.
While the rapper Gucci Mane and his wife, Keyshia Ka'oir Davis, were sitting courtside at a Hawks game, Futrell grabbed fries with a side of ketchup when Davis requested them. Snagging cocktails, towels and other items for A-list guests is also common.
'I tell people my role is a glorified servant and I solve problems,' said Futrell, the team's vice president for entertainment industry relations. 'You can't have ego going into this."
The grandeur of sitting courtside at an N.B.A. game is typically associated with the country's coasts. The film director Spike Lee, a longtime New York Knicks fan, is an energetic fixture inside Madison Square Garden, and celebrities like the Kardashians often frequent Lakers games in downtown Los Angeles.
But the Atlanta Hawks — who play in a city that is the home to prominent rappers and a movie production hub — are part of a growing crop of sports teams that have created positions or refined roles with the intent of getting celebrity butts into premium seats. Stars can help excite fans and enliven the atmosphere of games on television and social media, while also leading to more focused partnerships down the line.
The team's three entertainment-relations employees scope potential guests by looking at film release dates, sift through requests for tickets and help manage the publicity surrounding their attendance. Anne Hathaway, Millie Bobby Brown, T.I., Ludacris, Druski, Dustin Hoffman and the social media influencer Sydney Thomas have all sat courtside in recent years.
'It's definitely our center point in our city,' the rapper Waka Flocka Flame said in a brief interview on Friday from the Hawks' last game of the regular season. 'If you don't come to State Farm, what you doing, baby?'
The Hawks hired Futrell, who previously worked at Interscope Records and Sony Pictures Entertainment, in 2022 to bridge connections with entertainers, expanding a position that had primarily handled halftime performances. Leadership said the team needed a dedicated person to decipher a fragmented cultural landscape.
'The lines blur and the audiences enjoy it because people don't live in one box,' said Steve Koonin, the chief executive of the Hawks. 'They don't say, 'I'm just a sports fan.' They love the opportunity to see and experience celebrities from all over the entertainment spectrum as part of the sports scene.'
Figuring out who sits where can be a challenging process, Futrell said.
Hawks games have about 700 courtside seats available for purchase, according to a team spokesman, but they are often sold out, including from season ticket holders such as the rapper Quavo. Two seats that are heavily branded and financed by the beer company Michelob Ultra are reserved for V.I.P.s; they attend free with the caveat that they will be broadcast on the overhead video board.
When space is limited, Futrell said, a star's social media following can be a deciding factor.
'We're just trying to prioritize and figure out how to make everybody happy, especially those who can amplify our experience and we can amplify theirs,' she said.
The Hawks follow a process that is somewhat similar to the Knicks, who also have focused personnel to coordinate the parade of celebrities at Madison Square Garden. The actors Tracy Morgan and Ben Stiller were in Saturday's sold-out playoff crowd.
According to a league spokesman, at least five of the 16 teams in the playoffs have dedicated business department staff to handle celebrity and influencer relationships. They include teams in international hot spots such as the Lakers and Miami Heat, but also teams in smaller regional markets like the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.
Once the Hawks confirm that a celebrity is attending a game, Will Stephens, the team's vice president for premium and suite services, reaches out to discuss details such as parking, security arrangements and whether the celebrity is willing to be interviewed or photographed. He also sends an email to Hawks executives to alert them of the guest's seating location, partly to avoid being caught flat-footed once fans notice they are in the building.
When she knows a star is coming, Futrell said, she is 'stuck' to the person until the end of the game. After the singer Ne-Yo performed at halftime, Futrell escorted him through a pathway lined with eager fans. He stopped to take pictures with all of them, she said.
''If you need me to play bad cop, I'll do it,' Futrell recalled telling him. 'And he's like, 'No, no it's OK.''
Managing paparazzi fans? Delivering French fries? It is all just part of the job when hosting celebrities, Futrell said.
'We want them to have a great experience and we want them to want to come back,' she said.