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The NBA’s bosses have cancelled a promotional night planned by the Atlanta Hawks which was aimed at paying tribute to a famous strip club in the city.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement the proposed March 16 promotion – “Magic City Monday” – had been scrapped following feedbackfrom league stakeholders.
“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” Silver said.
“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 cancelling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”
Magic City is a prominent adult entertainment club in Atlanta with strong ties to the rap and hip-hop music industry.
However, the decision by the Hawks to honour the club with a promotional evening for next week’s home game with the Orlando Magic drew criticism from some players in the league.
San Antonio Spurs ace Luke Kornet had called for the Hawks to cancel the promotion, arguing it risked the NBA “being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society”.
Kornet said the NBA sought to “provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience”.
“The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision,” Kornet wrote.
Kornet’s position drew support from Golden State Warriors veteran Al Horford, who reposted the Spurs’ player’s statement with the message: “Well said Luke.”
