Most people who have been around Atlanta long enough will have heard of Magic City. Even folks who have never lived or visited the city have heard tales of Atlanta’s most famous strip club, which has gotten shoutouts from artists and celebrities for, if not the entertainment, the world-renowned wings.
For some, the strip club has become a staple part of Atlanta’s culture. The Atlanta Hawks seemed to agree, as they recently announced their intention to host a “Magic City Night” on March 16, where the Hawks will play the Orlando Magic.
The promotional night was planned to feature merchandise like a Hawks and Magic City branded hoodie collab, along with Magic City wings being served at the game.
That was short lived. The promotional collaboration has been canceled at the direction of the NBA on March 9. Yet the catalyst for this came not from the league, but from a player within the league itself.
Last week, NBA player Luke Kornet, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, made headlines when he published a Substack article calling out the Hawks for partnering and promoting the establishment, citing the negatives of the adult entertainment industry for many women. In the post, Kornet called for the Atlanta Hawks to cancel their promotional night.
“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,” Kornet wrote. “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,” he added.
The Substack blog post can be found here.
In the days following, the topic split the sports world apart. Some players, like the Boston Celtics’ Al Horford, formerly an Atlanta Hawk, voiced his agreement with Kornet. Some online expressed their agreement with Kornet, citing reasons like basketball games should be family-friendly.
Yet despite some support, the post has also received a fair share of criticisms of Kornet for not understanding the establishment’s cultural standing in the city. Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, who won 2024’s Best Rap Album Grammy, argued the club has empowered women financially, and that players should mind their business in their respective cities.
Supporters of the collaboration further argued that the promotion is in the name and merchandise, but that there won’t be any lewd activity at the game itself. Some pointed towards the hypocrisy of pointing out this promotional night, but not speaking on subjects like the ever-increasing grasp that sports gambling has taken on the sport, another subject that, historically, was not considered a family-friendly activity nor something to be promoted and normalized.
Regardless of mixed public opinions, the most important numbers in the NBA, the financials , paint a clear picture: the promotional game drummed up excitement and ticket prices. USA Today reports one seat priced at $476 for the Magic City promotional night, with that same seat against the Philadelphia 76ers, a better team than the Magic, only around $180.
Last week, a spokesperson for the Hawks organization, in response to some of the pushback, said that they would continue with the promotion as planned.
Representatives for Magic City, too, held firm with their position as to why the collaboration was celebrating Atlanta culture.
“It’s more than strip, it’s more about the culture, the hip-hop, the music, the food, the fun vibes… if I could describe it: like an adult version of Cirque du Soleil,” said Juju Barney, manager of Magic City in an interview with TMZ.
In the end, it seems Luke Kornet and those sharing his opinion won out; while neither the Atlanta Hawks nor Magic City walked back their decisions, the NBA itself met with Hawks representatives to discuss the matter.
A statement from league commissioner Adam Silver said the promotional game had “significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees.” Citing the best interests of all parties, the NBA asked the Hawks to cancel the collaboration.
Statement from NBA commissioner Adam Silver: “When we 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… https://t.co/mI3d9qvAF1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2026
The Hawks expressed their disappointment online, but conceded to the NBA.
The Hawks are still set to play the Orlando Magic on March 16, and wings will still be served.
