The Atlanta Hawks were unable to bring back their iconic "Pac-Man" logo in full due to the NBA's rules prohibiting "legacy marks" as primary logos, so the franchise had to be creative in bringing it back. The NBA believes bringing back logos would cannibalize the separate revenue stream for vintage goods.

The Hawks sharpened the beak, tilted its head downward and added a little cleft around its chin.

“We did this thinking about Bud’s [Mike Budenholzer’s] style of play, and he’s all about attack, attack, attack,” Hawks' chief creative officer Peter Sorckoff said.

Budenholzer had some degree of input on adding “Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club” around the logo. Budenholzer liked the idea that the franchise was larger than any particular group of players.