The Atlanta Hawks made waves Thursday when they announced a one-night celebration of Magic City, a local strip club. While the move was embraced by some — including former player Lou Williams, who has a history with the establishment — one player came out against the promotion Monday.
That would be San Antonio Spurs big man Luke Kornet, who criticized the Hawks for “being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society” with the promotion.
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Kornet, 30, addressed the issue in a newsletter Monday. In it, he asked the Hawks to cancel the promotion, explaining the NBA should “desire to protect and esteem women.” Kornet said that women in the “adult entertainment industry” experience “abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected.” Kornet did not feel the team was being respectful to “the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love” by highlighting Magic City.
Kornet ended the message by encouraging others to join him in asking the Hawks to cancel the Magic City promotion.
Kornet addressed the promotion again Tuesday, saying he hasn’t heard from the Hawks yet.
Kornet added that the NBA has not reached out after his statement, though said he did speak with people from the NBA prior to Monday’s newsletter.
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In the team’s announcement Thursday, Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz said the Hawks wanted to acknowledge Magic City’s “incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”
Williams also addressed the promotion, saying he was fully in favor of it, while also admitting he knows there will be people out there “who don’t understand it.”
Williams, of course, is far from an objective bystander in this instance. During the NBA’s bubble in 2020, Williams was forced to quarantine for 10 days after visiting Magic City while on an excused absence from the NBA after his grandfather’s death.
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The former three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner has spoken highly of Magic City multiple times, specifically the lemon pepper wings served at the establishment. The Hawks plan to serve Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ wings at the one-night celebration of Magic City as a nod to the former Hawks player and his appreciation of Magic City.
In his statement Monday, Kornet claimed he spoke with “others throughout the league” who opposed the Hawks’ celebration of Magic City. If that’s accurate, it’s possible more players will condemn the team for the promotion.
As of Monday afternoon, Kornet is the only player to have publicly spoken out about the event.