NBA pulls plug on Hawks' 'Magic City Monday' after player outcry and league concerns. Promotional night canceled, impacting ticket prices and fan expectations.
In late February, the Atlanta Hawks announced that they would be having a 'Magic City Monday' promotional night on Monday, March 16, against the Orlando Magic. The celebratory event was supposed to highlight Atlanta's legendary Magic City nightclub, which many NBA players have gone on record to praise.
The NBA officially announced on March 9 that it has canceled the Atlanta Hawks' planned in-arena promotion for their game on March 16. Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement:
"When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks' scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale. While we appreciate the team's perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees. I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community."
The Hawks responded with disappointment but deference.
"While we are very disappointed in the NBA's decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion, we fully respect its decision. As a franchise, we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together."
The backlash began last week when San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet published a blog post on Medium calling on the Hawks to cancel the event. Former Hawks star Al Horford posted his support for Kornet's statements on X shortly after.
"In its press release, the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, 'Atlanta's premier strip club,'" Kornet wrote. "Given this fact, I would like to respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with Magic City."
"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," Kornet added.
Other NBA players followed, which ultimately contributed to the cancellation.
Magic City Manager JuJue Barney and dancer YaYa pushed back during an appearance on TMZ Live, stating the promotional night would not feature any nudity and would instead focus on celebrating the club's deep ties to Atlanta's music scene.
Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz had previously said the event was planned to celebrate Magic City's "incredible impact" on the city and was tied to an upcoming team documentary project.
As for what's still happening on March 16, the game against the Orlando Magic is still scheduled at State Farm Arena. Atlanta rapper T.I. will still perform at halftime, and Magic City's lemon pepper wings will still be available for fans to purchase.
The limited-edition Peachtree-themed hoodie is no longer available, though all pre-ordered merchandise will still be honored. The planned live podcast recording featuring Gertz, T.I., and Magic City founder Michael "Mr. Magic" Barney has also been canceled, and fans who purchased tickets for that taping will be contacted directly by the team.
Now, fans who likely paid a premium for the promotional night will have to decide whether they still want to attend. After ticket prices soared to season-high get-in prices for the home game, those prices are likely to deflate in the coming days.