The Atlanta Hawks are celebrating “Magic City Night” on Monday, March 16th against the Orlando Magic.
It’s a nod to Magic City, the famed Atlanta strip club that has long occupied a strange intersection of hip-hop lore, celebrity culture, and late-night mythology. The franchise billed the promotional night as a tribute to a “cultural institution,” complete with appearances from Atlanta-based rapper T.I., themed merchandise, and the familiar smell of lemon-pepper wings that have become as synonymous with the city as trap beats and traffic on I-285.
But now, none of that might actually happen, at least if a San Antonio Spurs player has anything to do with it.
Spurs’ big man Luke Kornet inserted himself into the national conversation with something far less flashy: a letter posted on medium.
In his letter, which you can read in its entirety on the link above, Kornet asks for the night to be cancelled and believes that because it is honoring a strip club, that the promotion is disrespectful to women.
He questioned what it means for the NBA — a league that markets itself as progressive, family-friendly, and globally conscious — to align, even indirectly, with an establishment synonymous with adult entertainment. He argued that celebrating a strip club, no matter how carefully worded the press release, risks making the league complicit in the objectification and mistreatment many women in that industry endure.
Inside arenas across America, the NBA sells hope, heroism, and highlight reels to kids wearing oversized jerseys. Kornet’s point is simple: you can’t preach empowerment on one sideline and wink at exploitation on the other.
“We 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,” writes Kornet.
The Hawks may see a cultural homage. Kornet sees a moral blind spot.
Despite Kornet’s objections, the ticket price to the “Magic City Night” game has exploded from a get-in price of $10 before the announcement was made to $94 as of the date of this publication, according to Tick Pick.
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