A planned Hawks promotional night drew ire from league stakeholders, prompting NBA intervention, and reshaping Atlanta’s weekend spotlight.
The NBA canceled the Atlanta Hawks’ promotional event called “Magic City Monday” due to serious concerns raised by league stakeholders.
The promotion was designed to honor the famous Atlanta adult venue – Magic City.
The Hawks planned to mark the “historic cultural institution of the city” during their next Monday home game against the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena.
NBA Decision and Official Position
“When we learned about the Atlanta Hawks’ planned promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and motivations.”
– Adam Silver
“While we value the team’s stance and their desire to move forward, we heard significant concerns from a broad spectrum of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees,” Silver added. “I believe canceling this promo night is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”
– Adam Silver
The Hawks expressed disappointment after the NBA’s intervention.
“While we are very disappointed by the NBA’s decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion, we fully respect their decision. As a franchise we remain committed to celebrating the best in Atlanta – with authenticity – in ways that continue to bring us all together.”
– Hawks
The cancellation also followed public criticism from Spurs center Luka Kornet, who had previously urged the team to reexamine the event.
“In its press release, the Hawks did not acknowledge that this venue, as the business itself asserts, is “Atlanta’s first strip club.”
– Luka Kornet
“With that in mind, I would like to politely request that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promo night with Magic City.”
– Luka Kornet
“The NBA should strive to protect and respect women, many of whom work daily to make this league the best in the world. We should foster an atmosphere that protects and respects daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners whom we know and love.”
– Luka Kornet
CNN reached out to the Hawks for comment on Kornet’s remarks.