Luke Kornet said the Hawks failed to acknowledge in its release that Magic City “as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.'”
ATLANTA — One NBA player is taking exception to a recently-announced promotional night by the Atlanta Hawks that they said celebrates an iconic cultural establishment.
The Hawks announced last Thursday that it would be hosting and celebrating “Magic City Monday” on March 16 when the Hawks take on the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena.
The team describes the event as a “special one-night collaboration to celebrate the city’s iconic cultural institution,” a nod to Magic City, the Atlanta strip club known nationally for its influence on music, sports and pop culture.
However, San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet took to the internet to share his thoughts on the special-themed night, writing in a blog post on Medium.
Kornet said the Hawks failed to acknowledge in its release that Magic City “as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.'”
“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.
Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.
Regardless of how a woman finds her way into the adult entertainment industry, many in this space experience abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected.”
He also wrote that others throughout the NBA were shocked by the decision made by the Hawks and object to the promotion, saying that the NBA and its players “desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience.”
“The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision. Please join me in petitioning the Atlanta Hawks to cancel this promotion so as to ensure that the NBA remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone involved,” he wrote.
If the promotional night stays, Atlanta rapper T.I. is scheduled to perform at halftime.
In addition to the entertainment, State Farm Arena will feature Magic City’s famous lemon pepper wings at multiple concession stands throughout the game, made extra famous by former Atlanta Hawk and South Gwinnett High School alum Lou Williams getting in trouble during the COVID NBA bubble by going to Magic City to get the iconic wings which earned him the infamous nickname “Lemon Pepper Lou.”