Magic City Monday has been shut down.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday (March 9) that “Magic City Monday,” the Atlanta Hawks’ theme night scheduled for March 16, has been cancelled by the NBA.
Per ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a 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 said in a statement that it is “very disappointed” but will “fully respect” the NBA’s decision.
The Hawks announced that T.I. will still perform at halftime.
The cancellation comes after San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet shared a public letter in which he asked the NBA to cancel the promotion celebrating the well-known Atlanta strip club.
Kornet argued that Magic City Monday would “reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
His statement received the support of former Boston Celtics teammate Al Horford, who posted the letter, adding, “Well said Luke.”
Magic City Monday has also had its fair share of enthusiastic advocates, such as Cam’ron and Killer Mike.