The Atlanta Hawks are hosting a strip club night in honor of Magic City this month. The Hawks announced that they will be honoring the city's "iconic cultural institution Magic City" against the Orlando Magic on March 16.
"This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together 'Magic City: An American Fantasy'," said Jami Gertz. "The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture."
There will be some iconic food items, too: Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ and traditional Lemon Pepper wings.
"From the food to the music and the exclusive merchandise, we are excited to team up with Magic City to create an authentic, True to Atlanta-inspired game experience," said Hawks Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Proctor.
There will be some limited-edition clothing items, too.
"We doin' this one for the city... Magic City," said T.I.
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: A general view of Philips Arena during the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 30, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Magic City, of course, is an iconic strip club. It's extremely popular, not just for its female dancers, but also for its chicken wings, music and more.
But not everyone is enjoying the NBA's celebration night.
Luke Kornet of the Spurs is calling for the NBA to cancel the 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," Kornet continued. "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."
NBA player facing blowback for comments
NBA fans, writers and more are criticizing Kornet for his opinion.
"I've deleted like a million Luke Kornet tweets trying to find the proper words. In short: Maybe take a stand on some of the abusers you share the court with as opposed to women who choose to strip as a profession," one wrote.
"Adult entertainment should have the autonomy to be able to promote themselves however they want and if that includes a collab with a billion dollar industry then Luke Kornet should probably mind his business," one fan added.
"The Hawks are framing Magic City Night as culture. Luke Kornet says it's not aligned with a family league. Both can be true. But when you're a global brand, optics matter," another shared.
"Sorry but I refuse to let my beautiful Monday evening be tainted by discourse around Luke Kornet's views," one fan added.
Is the NBA player out of line with his comments?
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