The Hawks aren’t budging on their Magic City Night plan.
Despite backlash, a team spokesperson told The Post that the event celebrating the famed Atlanta-area strip club will go on as planned.
Last week, the franchise announced the promotional night, which will take place during a March 16 game against the Magic, billing the event as a tribute to a “cultural institution,” with appearances from Atlanta-based rapper T.I., city-themed merchandise and the venue’s iconic lemon pepper chicken wings.
But not everyone in the NBA is on board with celebrating the adult entertainment club.
The Spurs’ Luke Kornet asked for the night to be canceled in a post on Medium, arguing in part that the promotion is disrespectful to women.
“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 wrote. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.”
Warriors big man Al Horford agreed, co-signing his former teammate with the Celtics’ appeal by writing “Well said Luke,” on X.
Draymond Green, who shares a locker room with Horford, had a different take, saying on his self-titled podcast that the goings-on at Magic City are “a form of art.”
“I think to point out that they have esteem issues because that’s the line of work they chose, I actually think it is less protective of women because you’re condemning something. It’s actually an art,” Green said. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been, but if you see it in action, it’s actually a form of art that some choose to indulge in and some choose not to indulge in.
“But to say that because a woman decides that that’s the art that they want to partake in and that the customer wants to take in, I think is reflective of society’s thoughts and how they once view things.”
With the event going on, Magic City manager JuJu Barney assured those on Kornet’s side of the controversy that those involved are going to keep it family friendly.
“There will be no nudity whatsoever, at all,” Barney told TMZ.
“There will be no signs of nudity, there will be no nudity at all. It’s strictly just wings and music and people having a good time.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
