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The Hawks managed to ruffle some feathers when they announced their plans to hold a promo night honoring Magic City, the strip club that is also a cultural institution in Atlanta. Some NBA players voiced their displeasure with the partnership, but Draymond Green made it clear he supports it by referring to the scene inside the joint as “art.”
The Atlanta Hawks may not be the first professional sports franchise to partner with a local business for a promotional night. However, I can’t think of any other major teams that have proudly announced their plans to link up with a strip club, which is exactly what they did when they revealed they’ll be celebrating “Magic City Monday” when they host Orlando on March 16th.
That might have seemed like a fairly wild decision if you weren’t familiar with Magic City’s place in the Atlanta landscape.
It is ostensibly a strip club, but it has transcended that label due to its role as a cultural hub that’s viewed as an almost sacred site in the hip-hop community. It also has a special place in NBA lore thanks to the wings that led to Lou Williams landing in hot water after leaving The Bubble during the pandemic.
Some current and former NBA players have voiced their displeasure with the Hawks over the upcoming promo night, but there’s also one man who’s a big Magic City fan who has soundly endorsed it.
Draymond Green says the Hawks are honoring “art” by teaming up with Magic City
Luke Kornet was the first NBA player to take the Hawks to task over their version of Magic City Monday (a nod to the hallowed weekly gathering of the same name at the club), as he asserted the team was “complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
Richard Jefferson also chimed in with what I would consider a somewhat more reasonable take, as he objected to the fact that Magic City will be front and center at a basketball game that will feature plenty of young fans in attendance.
Draymond Green entered the chat on the most recent episode of his podcast. He took aim at Kornet’s take concerning exploitation and female empowerment, asserting those accusations are off-base while recounting his personal experience at Magic City.
He had some very high praise for the performers at Magic City, saying:
“I think to point out that they have esteem issues because that’s the line of work they chose, I actually think is less protective of women because you’re condemning something; it’s actually an art.
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.
The Hawks have stuck to their guns despite the criticism, and all signs point to Magic City being celebrated at State Farm Arena midway through the month.