NBA player Luke Kornet takes stance against ‘Magic City' celebration

San Antonio Spurs centre Luke Kornet has publicly called on the Atlanta Hawks to cancel their "Magic City Monday" promotion, arguing that a celebration tied to a well-known adult entertainment club falls short of the values the NBA should uphold.

Kornet posted a detailed statement on Medium ahead of the Hawks' Monday game against the Orlando Magic, in which Atlanta had planned to pay tribute to Magic City, one of the city's most famous strip clubs. 

The promotion includes a collaborative hoodie for sale, wings from the club's menu, among them the lemon-pepper wings named after former Hawks player Lou Williams, and a halftime performance by Atlanta-based rapper T.I.

In his statement, Kornet was measured but direct. 

"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," he wrote. 

"We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love. 

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. 

Regardless of how a woman finds her way into the adult entertainment industry, many in this space experience abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected."

He also made clear he was not alone in his concern. 

"I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks' decision," he wrote, adding that NBA teams should be held "to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting." 

His central argument was straightforward. 

"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."

The Hawks' connection to Magic City has a notable backstory. 

Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz served as a producer on Magic City: An American Fantasy, a docuseries about the club that aired on Starz last year. 

The club also gained wider national attention in 2020 when Lou Williams, then playing for the LA Clippers, made headlines for visiting during an excused absence from the NBA's pandemic bubble in Orlando. 

Williams maintained at the time that he had only gone to collect a takeaway order.