Stephen A. Smith might not have an issue with the Atlanta Hawks celebrating Magic City, but San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet sees it as a big problem.
The Hawks are running an unusual promotion Monday night, celebrating Atlanta’s famous strip club, Magic City. To honor the “iconic cultural institution,” the Hawks will pay tribute to the adult entertainment club with exclusive merchandise, Magic City’s famous lemon pepper wings, and a halftime performance by Atlanta native T.I.
Luke Kornet will not be playing in the game, since he’s not on the Hawks or Magic. However, a blog post on Medium suggests he doesn’t really want anyone contributing to the celebration of a strip club.
“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,” Kornet 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.”
Kornet asked others to join him in his effort to cancel this promotion, which seems unlikely. Because while Kornet might not like Magic City, there are a lot of professional athletes, and even media members, as Stephen A. Smith can attest, who have enjoyed what the club has to offer.
Additionally, Hawks co-owner, actress, and film producer Jami Gertz produced a five-part docuseries celebrating 40 years of Magic City, which was released last summer. A blog post from Kornet, even if it was well-intentioned, probably won’t convince her to turn on the renowned adult entertainment club now.