Hawks honor Atlanta's Magic City with exclusive wings, merchandise, and T.I. performance. Get ready for a unique arena experience.
This is, well, quite interesting. The Atlanta Hawks announced today via their social media channels that State Farm Arena will be the host of an honorary celebration of Atlanta's eatery/entertainment club, Magic City.
It's a one-night collaboration for the team, and the night will celebrate the iconic institution — and the details that have come out make this one of the more unique theme nights you'll see from any NBA team this season.
"Magic City Monday," as the team coined it, will take place on Monday, March 16, against, yep, you guessed it, the Orlando Magic.
The event is already gaining a lot of buzz on social media for being very unique, and something only Atlanta would do. Magic City became an iconic venue for the public eye — particularly among NBA fans — when Lou Williams gave a shoutout to how good their lemon-pepper wings were during the NBA bubble.
The night is loaded with programming beyond just the game itself. Before tip-off, Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz will present a special live recording of the Hawks AF Podcast, featuring a conversation about the cultural impact of Magic City on Atlanta music, sports and culture. The recording will feature Magic City founder Michael "Mr. Magic" Barney and T.I., hosted by comedian and rapper D.C. Young Fly — so fans are encouraged to get to State Farm Arena early.
Gertz has a personal connection to the institution. Alongside Grammy Award-winning music mogul and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri, she produced a five-part documentary that aired on Starz celebrating 40 years of Magic City, exploring the club's history and its pivotal role in hip-hop and Black culture.
"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,'" Gertz said. "The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture."
Adding to the atmosphere, DJ Esco — Magic City's legendary resident Monday night DJ — will curate the pregame music, and T.I. will perform at halftime.
As part of the collaboration with the iconic Atlanta nightclub, the Hawks are teaming up with Magic City to release a limited-edition Peachtree-themed hoodie with a bolded, peach-colored 'MAGIC CITY' title on the front and Hawks and Peach logos on the sleeves. The hoodie will be available only at the Hawks Shop in State Farm Arena and online at HawksShop.com starting on Monday, March 16.
Magic City Kitchen will serve two versions of their legendary lemon pepper wings in the arena: Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ and their traditional Lemon Pepper. Fans can find them in Sections 114, 120, and 211.
Assuming there will be more details revealed along the way, this is sure to be one of the premier games for the Hawks in terms of "stadium buzz." Atlanta celebrities will swarm the venue, which will make this one of the hottest tickets for the Hawks this year.