NBA Player Calls Out Atlanta Hawks for Controversial Promo Night

An NBA team is embracing an unconventional promotion for an upcoming game, and one opposing player is speaking out.

The Atlanta Hawks are set to host the Orlando Magic on March 16, and the game is being promoted as "Magic City Monday." The team will celebrate the iconic gentlemen's club of the same name with the location's iconic chicken wings, a performance from rapper T.I. and special merchandise.

Magic on a Monday? ???? @MagicCity pic.twitter.com/xwWrGyVE20

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 26, 2026

Some have praised the Hawks for tapping into the cultural significance of the strip club, while others have said that the partnership clashes with the NBA's family-friendly image.

San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet falls into the second category, and he wrote a post on Medium urging the team and league to reconsider the promotion.

Kornet's Plea to Reconsider 'Magic City Monday'

During his post, Kornet cited the NBA's commitment to promoting women's contributions to the game of basketball, and how the Magic City promotion is potentially at odds with that goal.

"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 said.

"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."

The former Vanderbilt big man said that the league should "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." He added that promoting a strip club to sell tickets is "not conduct aligned with that vision."

Those who support the promotion cite Magic City's influence and cultural significance to the city of Atlanta, especially to the local music industry. The promotion has also been met with excitement, as the Hawks cited a 90% positive engagement rate on their announcement post on social media.

“I don’t think that I’ve gotten as many requests for tickets to a game,” said Melissa Proctor, the Hawks' and State Farm Arena's executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Hawks Ownership Embraces Magic City

The Hawks' ownership also has ties to Magic City, as co-owner Jami Gertz helped produce a five-part documentary series on the club for STARZ last year. The documentary focused on Magic City's role as a community meeting place where deals were brokered and members of the community worked together.

She also noted that she met JuJu and Michael “Little Magic” Barney - sons of the club's original owner - shortly after moving to Atlanta and attending her first Hawks game.

“First and foremost, this was an American family, a quintessential American family, that’s been in business for four decades,” Gertz said about the Barneys. "...This is not a shameful thing. This is a family-run business and a family-run atmosphere, if I can say that.”

The Hawks have noted that there will be no dancers on "Magic City Night," and that the promotion will focus on the "G-rated" elements of the club - food, music and community.

We'll see if Kornet's plea to the NBA is addressed ahead of the game and scheduled promotional effort later this month.