The striker almost signed for Stoke for £9m from German side Hoffenheim in January, but the deal collapsed when a City medical led to concerns about a knee injury.
A spell with relegation-bound West Ham followed, before he signed for the Mighty Magpies in the summer.
And Ba made Stoke suffer, winding up the crowd when he celebrated his 12th-minute opener by running in front of the Boothen End with his hand cupped to his ear, before blowing kisses to the crowd.
He said on Saturday: "I love it here at Newcastle, and things have turned out better in the end.
"The Newcastle fans are the best in the country."
He had a dig at the Stoke fans for turning against him, and he showed them what they missed by letting him go.
Demba Ba: "If the fans want to boo, they should boo their board.
"I am very happy to score a hat-trick here because it is a place where you come and struggle.
"It is very important when you have strikers who can run and defend. Tonight we did our best, but the team at the back were very strong."
Source: FOOTYMAD
