The NBA is cancelling the Atlanta Hawks‘ upcoming Magic City promotional night, the league announced on Monday.
“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver wrote in a statement. “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. I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”
The Hawks said they were “disappointed” in the decision but “fully respect” the league’s ruling.
“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.
While the Magic City promotion itself has been cancelled, some planned elements of the night will remain in place. Pre-ordered merchandise will still be delivered, though the Magic City-themed hoodie the team has promoted will not be on sale at the game. Atlanta-based rapper T.I. will still perform at halftime.
Magic City is a well-known strip club in the Atlanta area often frequented by high-profile musicians, local celebrities and NBA players. The NBA initially announced the promotion on Feb. 26, with the plan being for Atlanta’s March 16 home game against the Orlando Magic (pun likely intended) to serve as Magic City night at State Farm Arena. The initial press release described Magic City as an “iconic cultural institution.”
However, backlash soon followed the promotion, most notably from San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet. On his personal blog, he called on the Hawks to cancel Magic City night “to ensure that the NBA remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone involved,” citing “abuse, harassment, and violence” that women in the adult entertainment business experience as reasons why the promotion would not be appropriate. The NBA did not cite Kornet specifically among those who voiced concerns, but his letter was the most prominent public request for a cancellation.
This is not the first time the NBA has crossed paths with Magic City in a controversial way. In 2020, Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams was on an approved absence from the Orlando bubble in order to attend a funeral in Atlanta. However, while absent, he was photographed at Magic City by rapper Jack Harlow.
Williams claimed that he was there only to pick up food. Magic City has a menu item, the “Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ chicken wings,” named after him. But the NBA required him to undergo a 10-day quarantine before he could re-enter the bubble. Those wings were set to be served at State Farm Arena on Magic City night before the event’s cancellation, and while the team’s press release on Monday stated that “the full array of award-winning culinary options available at State Farm Arena for Hawks games will be available, including wings,” it is not clear if that is referring to the wings that are typically available at home games or the Magic City flavors, specifically.
