Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSaturday, June 27, 2026

The Hawks had to bump a Janet Jackson show after Trae Young’s Game 5 winner vs. the Celtics

The Hawks double-booked their arena with Janet Jackson because even they didn’t think they’d beat the Celtics twice.

37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony - Inside
37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony - Inside
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Ricky O'Donnell
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

Not many people expected the No. 7 seed Atlanta Hawks to win two games off the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, and that apparently includes the Hawks themselves. Atlanta booked its home arena for a Janet Jackson concert scheduled for Thursday, April 27 way before the playoff bracket was ever announced.

Only one problem: after their stunning Game 5 win on Tuesday, the Hawks now host Game 6 at Thursday, which means Ms. Jackson (if you’re nasty) has been bumped to playing on Friday night.

The Hawks won a thriller in Game 5 thanks to Trae Young’s ice-cold game-winner on a deep stepback three-pointer. If Atlanta can win Game 6 at home, things are about to get really scary for the defending Eastern Conference champs.

Young apologized to Janet Jackson on Twitter Wednesday morning ... sort of.

Fortunately, the arena is open for Jackson to have her concert on Friday. There’s only one potential issue: there’s also a Taylor Swift concert in Atlanta that day to be held at the home of the Atlanta Falcons.

How many fans had tickets to both Jackson and Swift? That would be a very hard choice to make.

Related

Who knows, maybe fans in Atlanta will be able to celebrate a Hawks Game 6 win on Thursday and then carry the good vibes into Jackson’s concert on Friday. Like Young tweeted, it sure would be cool if Janet was in the arena for Game 6.

We still can’t get over how sick Young’s game-winner was from Tuesday night. Let’s watch it again from every angle.

The Celtics still have to feel confidence in this series. But if they lose Game 6, Boston fans will be asking What Have You Done for Me Lately.

See More:

More in NBA

NBA
The LaMelo Ball trade makes absolutely no sense for the HornetsThe LaMelo Ball trade makes absolutely no sense for the Hornets
NBA

The Hornets sold low on LaMelo.

By Ricky O'Donnell
NBA
6 Jaylen Brown trade ideas for Celtics star with rumors swirling6 Jaylen Brown trade ideas for Celtics star with rumors swirling
NBA

Here are six Jaylen Brown fake trades that make sense for both sides.

By Ricky O'Donnell
NBA
NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams’ full 2026 classNBA Draft grades for all 30 teams’ full 2026 class
NBA

Let’s grade every team’s full 2026 NBA draft class.

By Ricky O'Donnell
NBA
LaMelo Ball trade grades for Wolves, Hornets after shocking blockbuster dealLaMelo Ball trade grades for Wolves, Hornets after shocking blockbuster deal
NBA

Let’s trade the LaMelo Ball stunner for the Wolves and Hornets.

By James Dator
NBA
The biggest lessons from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sagaThe biggest lessons from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga
NBA

The Bucks waited too long to trade Giannis, and other lessons from the NBA’s latest blockbuster.

By Oliver Fox
NBA
NBA Draft results: Pick-by-pick tracker for all 60 selections in 2026 classNBA Draft results: Pick-by-pick tracker for all 60 selections in 2026 class
NBA

Keeping track of every pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

By Ricky O'Donnell

Comments
Loading comments
Getting the conversation ready...