Hawks’ Magic City Night sparks backlash from NBA player, fans
Courtesy of Atlanta Hawks
ATLANTA - A promotional night planned by the Atlanta Hawks is drawing criticism from an NBA player over its connection to a well-known Atlanta strip club.
What we know:
The Hawks have scheduled "Magic City Night" for March 16 when they host the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena. The event pays tribute to Magic City, which the team described as a cultural institution.
Luke Kornet, a center for the San Antonio Spurs, wrote in a post on Medium that the promotional night should be canceled.
"In its press release, the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.’ Given this fact, I would like to respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with Magic City," Kornet wrote.
"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world. We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love."
It appears that many people on social media agree with Kornet. Replies to a post on the Hawks' X account include:
"I couldn't be more disappointed in the Hawks for doing this. I've been one of their biggest fans since I was 7 and am considering boycotting them for a while. The atmosphere is already not very family or kid friendly and this is despicable. Shame on you Hawks. Do better."
"Because nothing says family like Magic City. Wow"
"This is perverse. Celebrating a strip club? Insanity. Done with this sorry franchise."
"This is honestly ridiculous, a sad day for my team."
"This is insane… what are we doing here?"
The other side:
Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz said in a press release that the collaboration is tied to the team’s documentary project and the club’s cultural impact.
"This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’" Gertz said. "The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture."
Gertz is also an executive producer for the STARZ docuseries.
FOX 5 Atlanta reached out to the Hawks for a statement about the backlash on Tuesday morning. However, a spokesperson for the team said they "declined to comment."
What's next:
The event is expected to feature a performance by Atlanta rapper T.I., co-branded merchandise and two versions of Magic City's "world famous" lemon pepper wings, Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ and the traditional Lemon Pepper wings.
The limited-edition Peachtree-themed hoodie featuring the words "MAGIC CITY" in peach across the front and on the sleeves plus the Hawks official logo will be available only at the Hawks Shop in State Famr Arena and online at HawksShop.com.