Ted Turner, the former Atlanta Hawks owner whose influence in Atlanta sports stretched far beyond basketball, has died at the age of 87.
CNN reported Turner’s death on May 6, citing Turner Enterprises.No cause of death was given, while noting Turner revealed in 2018 that he had Lewy body dementia.
The news immediately drew reaction across the sports and media world, with many tributes understandably focused on Turner’s ownership of the Atlanta Braves and his role as the founder of CNN. But Turner’s connection to the Hawks is part of the same larger Atlanta story: a media mogul using sports, television and local ownership to help turn the city into a national sports and broadcasting hub.
Ted Turner’s Hawks Legacy Was Part of a Bigger Atlanta Vision
Turner bought the Braves in 1976 and later owned the Hawks, giving him two major Atlanta sports franchises at a time when cable television was exploding. Turner owned both the Braves and the Hawks in the 1970s, while his media empire grew around news, sports, movies and entertainment programming.
That combination is what makes Turner’s Hawks connection more than a footnote.
Big loss for a central figure in franchise history.
For modern NBA fans, team ownership is usually discussed through payroll, luxury tax spending, arena upgrades and free agency. Turner represented an earlier version of ownership power: the ability to pair live sports with a growing media platform.
The Braves became the clearest example because of their national television reach, but the Hawks also existed inside Turner’s broader Atlanta sports ecosystem. The team’s official heritage page notes that the Hawks raised a banner honoring Turner, a rare tribute for a former owner and a sign of how deeply he remained tied to the franchise’s identity.
That is why his death resonated beyond a single league.
Atlanta Braves issued a tribute calling Turner a “good friend and former owner,” crediting his leadership and television vision with helping make the Braves “America’s Team,” according to the team’s statement shown in the post. ESPN, Andrew Marchand, Clay Travis and Atlanta radio voice Mike Conti were among the sports and media figures who also reacted publicly.
Conti wrote that it was not an overstatement to say Atlanta, its sports community and the broadcast industry would not be what they are today without Turner.
For Hawks fans, that is the important through line. Turner was not merely a famous person who once owned the team. He was one of the figures who helped define the city’s sports-business identity.
CNN Reported Ted Turner Died at Age 87
Turner’s national legacy will begin with CNN. He launched the network in 1980, creating the first 24-hour news outlet and changing the way television covered major events around the world. Reuters described Turner as a “sportsman and entrepreneur” whose instincts helped build a media empire that included CNN.
But the sports piece was never separate from the media piece.
Turner understood that live sports could make television more valuable, and television could make teams more visible. That idea is now standard across the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL. In Turner’s prime, it was more radical.
His Atlanta sports ownership also came with personality. Turner was known for bold public comments and attention-grabbing moves, including briefly managing a Braves game in 1977 before baseball officials stopped him.
The Hawks connection was quieter than the Braves one, but still meaningful. Turner’s ownership years overlapped with a formative stretch of Atlanta basketball history, and his presence helped tie the Hawks to a larger era of Atlanta growth.
Ted Turner’s Net Worth Was Estimated at $2.8 Billion
Turner was one of the most recognizable billionaires in American media, but his fortune was also tied to philanthropy and land ownership.
Forbes estimated Turner’s fortune at $2.8 billion. The outlet also noted Turner gave $1 billion to the United Nations, became one of the largest private landowners in the United States and owned a bison herd connected to his Ted’s Montana Grill restaurant chain.
That context matters because Turner’s legacy is unusually wide for a former NBA owner. Most former team owners are remembered through championships, trades, arenas or front-office decisions. Turner’s legacy includes cable news, conservation, philanthropy, baseball, basketball and Atlanta’s image as a national media city.
For the Hawks, that makes his tenure difficult to measure only by wins and losses.
Ted Turner’s Marriages Included Jane Fonda
Turner was married and divorced three times and had five children, according to Reuters. His third marriage was to actress Jane Fonda, and Reuters reported the marriage lasted 10 years before ending in 2001.
His public life was often loud, complicated and headline-grabbing. That was part of why reaction to his death came from so many corners: sports, media, business, politics and entertainment.
Still, for Atlanta fans, the simplest summary may be the one reflected in the tributes. Turner helped make Atlanta feel bigger.
The Hawks were one piece of that. The Braves were another. CNN was the giant amplifier. Together, they made Turner one of the rare owners whose impact on a city’s sports culture outlived his time running the teams.
Atlanta Sports World Reacts to Ex-Hawks Owner Ted Turner’s Death