The Atlanta Hawks and Magic City won’t be partnering up for a night of culture and basketball, and fans are burning hot with blue flames of rage. The March 16 “Magic City Night” is one of several promotions the team has organized throughout the 2025-26 season; this one offering exclusive ap parel, a halftime performance by T.I., and lemon pepper wings from the iconic gentleman’s club. Draymond Green and fans of Magic City nightclub in Atlanta are outraged over the NBA’s major change to an upcoming basketball game. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch) Jermaine Dupri Reveals the Shocking Reason Why Janet Jackson Demanded He Take Her to ‘Magic City’ Strip Club The Hawks and Orlando Magic game is still on the books, as is the “Let ‘Em Know” rapper’s music set, but there won’t be any tributes to the local institution that has become a part of the city’s legacy. A live taping of the “Hawks AF” podcast featuring the King of the South, primary team owner Jami Gertz, and Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney, the strip club’s founder, was also scrapped. “They blew it out of proportion. It was just chicken wings and the name,” said Barney on “The Streetz Morning Takeover” show, claiming he was notified about the cancellation through a phone call. ‘Like we were going to turn girls loose,” he added about people outraged that certain things that go on in his club cannot and will not go on during the game. According to the NBA, “Canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community,” after speaking with Hawks leadership and hearing concerns from league stakeholders, including employees, partners, and fans. The franchise shared, “We remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together” despite commissioner Adam Silver’s decision. pic.twitter.com/ARpFImHcaQ— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2026 A disappointed fan called out the league for what some deemed the league’s hypocritical assessment of the event’s original theme. “So there’s gambling rings, players and coaches involved in RICOs, and abusers employed by the league. But Lord forbid we get some lemon pepper wings and a hoodie,” reads one tweet. On the contrary, a second X user wrote, “Whether the night happened or not, the amount of marketing value that the business got out of this far outweighs the initial planned night. But this was the right decision by the league. We have kids at games.” Fans online began pointing the finger at the person most responsible for drawing negative attention to the event. “It’s one person sir that started the outrage,” said one person while another added, “The white man cried about Magic City night and the league folded.” San Antonio Spurs backup center Luke Kornet publicly fueled backlash in an open letter saying that the one-time merger would be “complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.” Kornet petitioned others to join his protest. “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. We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love,” he explained. Luke Kornet is requesting the Hawks cancel tonight's "Magic City Monday" theme night with the iconic Atlanta strip club."The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women." pic.twitter.com/8gOuMlQ5zq— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 2, 2026 Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green addressed Kornet’s concerns during the March 4 episode of “The Draymond Green Show” podcast. He referred to himself as “a man with a wife, as a man with daughters, as a man with sisters, and as a man with an amazing mother and an amazing grandmother, and incredible aunts and nieces,” while defending women’s choice to become exotic dancers. Green argued, “To point out they have esteem issues because that’s the line of work they chose, I actually think it’s less protective of women because you’re condemning something… If you see it in action, it’s actually a form of art.” The four-time NBA champion also noted that Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B, a former stripper, is currently selling out arenas on her “Little Miss Drama Tour.” “I don’t think Cardi B has esteem issues. So, I think that’s actually a negative vantage point on these women that are in this line of work,” Green said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @courtsidebuzzig Fans remain divided on the topic, but Magic City’s influence is not up for debate. “People don’t go to Magic City for chicken wings and the name. Why are people trying to water down what that life is all about. Magic City trying to be Hooters now? C’mon Atlanta. Stop it. What’s next, a Magic City/Ebenezer Baptist Church colab?” The club has been name-dropped in countless songs, served as the background to music videos, TV shows and films, and the focal point of the “Magic City: An American Fantasy” documentary in 2025. T.I. is still expected to perform at Monday night’s game, where guests will have the opportunity to taste some of the flavor that helps keep the doors open at “Magic City.” ‘Sir Started the Outrage’: Draymond Green Piles On After Fans Drag Luke Kornet Over His Icy Take on Atlanta Hawks’ Magic City Night with T.I. ...read more read less