Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs fell to a 89-114 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon. This brought their ongoing winning streak to an end, but it was Wemby’s backup, Luke Kornet, who made headlines following the game. The 2024 NBA champion wrote an extensive blog post with criticism towards the Atlanta Hawks’ upcoming “Magic City Night” event scheduled for March 16.

Kornet was critical of the league, stating, “The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women.” This comes after the event is being held in partnership with Atlanta’s legendary Magic City club, which is an adult entertainment establishment.

But Hawks ownership does not agree with this sentiment. Billionaire co-owner Jami Gertz came out in defense of her organization’s latest promotional event that sold nearly 2,000 tickets and achieved 90%+ positive sentiment from Hawks fans.

“This is not a shameful thing,” Gertz said in an earlier interview with The Athletic. “This is a family-run business and a family-run atmosphere, if I can say that.”

Gertz went on to add how she met JuJu and Michael “Little Magic” Barney, the sons of the Magic City’s original owner, after attending her first Hawks game. She reasserted that this is an ‘American family business’ and should be treated as such.

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“First and foremost, this was an American family, a quintessential American family, that’s been in business for four decades. This is not a shameful thing. This is a family-run business and a family-run atmosphere, if I can say that,” Gertz concluded.

The response from the Hawks comes after Kornet’s blog post blew up over the last two days. He received widespread support over social media platforms. The former Boston Celtics man spoke about how Adam Silver and NBA executives should “promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.”

Will Atlanta’s controversial “Magic City Night” face league intervention?

“Magic City Night” will be held later this month when the Hawks welcome the Orlando Magic to the State Farm Arena. The event is being promoted as a themed game to celebrate Magic City as a ‘cultural institution’.

As per promotional details, the night will include performances from rapper T.I, Magic City’s signature chicken pepper wings available at the arena, and exclusive merchandise from the club while also celebrating the city’s music and hip-hop culture. The Hawks organization maintains that the game and event will be strictly G-rated and won’t include any exotic dance performances.

However, none of the promotional material mentions Magic City’s status as an adult entertainment venue. This will most likely prevent Silver and his team of executives from any intervention. Despite Kornet calling for a ban, Atlanta’s “Magic City Night” is likely going ahead as planned.