ATLANTA — It was a sellout crowd for the first Atlanta Hawks home game of 2018 at the newly renovated State Farm Arena.
Officials said the arena renovation is the second most expensive renovation in the NBA's history, coming in at more than $200 million.
[PHOTOS: State Farm Arena media tour as renovation nears completion]
The Hawks defeated the Dallas Mavericks 111-104 Wednesday night inside of the arena, and fans appeared to love the makeover.
Long before the Zac Brown Band sang The National Anthem, Hawks fans arrived early to see the team's new home.
"I want to see the new stuff! I want to see the new stuff!" a fan told Channel 2 Action News.
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The 16-month renovation project brought massive changes including a state of the art scoreboard, walls knocked down to allow natural light in, and suites removed to allow for more seating.
"Man, the arena is fabulous," Mark Bowens said.
Bowens rushed to one of the arena's more unique new features: a barbershop.
"It's a first time experience, but it's great. Queen is taking real good care of me here," he said.
With much of it publicly funded, Channel 2's Justin Wilfon asked the Hawks CEO if it was a good investment for taxpayers.
"Well it was a good investment for two reasons. One, because all the money is being paid back in rent over the duration of the term. And second, this building really represents Atlanta," Steve Koonin said.
But what does the famous owner of the Hawks' opponent think of the new arena? Mark Cuban said he loves the Hawks' new nest.
"They did a phenomenal job. The scoreboard, the attitude, the open air, just the vibe. Yeah they did a great job," Cuban said.
The arena completes the trifecta in Atlanta with Suntrust Park and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Koonin said that means Atlanta is ready to host all of the biggest events the world has to offer.
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