Spurs' Luke Kornet Asks Hawks To Cancel "Magic City Night"

To many people, last week’s announcement that the Atlanta Hawks were teaming up with Magic City was either surprising or seen as satire.

But apparently, some NBA players had neither reaction and actually took offense to the partnership, with the only one brave enough to speak out being Luke Kornet.

The San Antonio Spurs center, fresh off a beating from the New York Knicks, wrote a post on Medium explaining why he can’t get behind the Hawks’ “Magic City Night” and asks them to cancel it.

“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 writes. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.”

He says the event reflects “poorly” on the NBA community, and makes them seem “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 continues.

He asks the league and fans to hold the Hawks to a “higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting.”

Plus, he’s not alone in his protest.

“I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision,” he reveals.

Celebrating strip club culture doesn’t create a great environment “where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball” and “celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience.”

His disagreement stems from last week, when the Hawks announced that on March 16, they’d be partnering with the local legendary gentleman’s club, Magic City. The festivities would include a special live taping of its Hawks AF podcast, discussing STARZ’s 2025 docuseries Magic City: An American Fantasy, which was produced by Hawks’ principal owner, Jami Gertz.

Along for the ride are TI, D.C. Young Fly, DJ Esco, and even the Magic City Kitchen, which will be serving wings.

Kornet’s idea to cancel the celebration is unpopular, so he’s getting called out on social media. See the reactions below.