The NBA has stepped in to stop a controversial promotional night the Atlanta Hawks had planned to hold, celebrating the city’s well-known strip club, Magic City, calling it off after the league said it “heard significant concerns.”
The Hawks were to hold “Magic City Night” on Monday, March 16, when the Orlando Magic are in Atlanta, to celebrate what the team had described as an “iconic cultural institution,” a move that generated a wave of opinions, both for and against the promotion.
Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs. | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that after the league “became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale.”
“While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees,” Silver said in the statement. “I believe cancelling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”
The Hawks said that the organisation was “very disappointed in the NBA’s decision,” but that they “fully respect” it.
“As a franchise, we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together,” the team said in a statement.
The Hawks announced that T.I. will still perform at halftime as originally planned, but other parts of the promotion would not be salvaged.
The team will not sell a planned limited-edition Peachtree-themed hoodie during the game and the planned live show for the “Hawks AF Podcast” that would have included principal owner, filmmaker and actor Jami Gertz, T.I. and Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney was cancelled.
Wings will be on sale on the concourse, though it does not appear they will be from Magic City.
But after the team announced it in February, it became the topic of discussion for many around the NBA.
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet penned an op-ed in a Medium post, speaking out against the planned theme night and calling on the parties involved to reconsider.
As part of the post, Kornet wrote that the promotion would “reflect poorly” on the NBA, “specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
Golden State Warriors center Al Horford, who spent nine seasons in Atlanta, voiced his support of Kornet’s message by sharing it on social media and captioning it, “Well said, Luke.”
Others did not view it as negative, with Warriors forward Draymond Green siding with the promotion and defending it during an episode of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.”
This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.
