A magical night in the city

The Atlanta Hawks to honor Magic City as a cultural landmark

Atlanta, Georgia — The Atlanta Hawks have not yet played a minute of their March 16 home game against the Orlando Magic, but the team’s decision to center the night around legendary Atlanta strip club Magic City is already one of the most talked-about promotions of the NBA season.

Billed by the organization as a tribute to an “iconic cultural institution,” the “Magic City Monday” game will feature Magic City’s famous lemon pepper wings at State Farm Arena, performances tied to Atlanta’s hip-hop scene, and co-branded merchandise as part of the Hawks’ broader “True to Atlanta” identity push. The opponent that night — the Orlando Magic — adds an extra layer of wordplay the franchise has leaned into in its promotional materials.

Hawks leadership has framed the collaboration as a recognition of Magic City’s influence on the city’s culture and creative economy rather than a simple nightlife tie-in.

“From the food to the music and the exclusive merchandise, we are excited to team up with Magic City to create an authentic, True to Atlanta-inspired game experience,” said Hawks Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Proctor in the team’s announcement.

Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz, who helped produce the STARZ docuseries “Magic City: An American Fantasy,” has also publicly connected the game night to the club’s broader story.

“This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’” Gertz said. “The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.

”The Hawks’ official materials describe Magic City as an “iconic cultural institution” that helped shape Atlanta’s music and nightlife, and they emphasize that the evening will highlight food, music, and storytelling rather than live adult entertainment at the arena. Coverage of the promotion notes that the team plans to bring elements like Magic City’s kitchen, music associated with the club, and appearances from Atlanta figures, but “without the dancers.

”Magic City, founded in 1985, has long been regarded as a tastemaker in hip-hop, with DJs and dancers helping to break new records that later climbed national charts. Recent reporting and the STARZ documentary have underscored its role in launching songs and influencing the sound and image associated with Atlanta’s rise as a music capital.

The announcement of “Magic City Monday” has also drawn criticism and calls for the promotion to be canceled. San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet wrote a letter opposing the night, arguing that the league should not be aligned with a strip club and warning about “objectification of women,” a stance that has generated both support and backlash across social media and sports talk platforms. Some fans and commentators have questioned whether an NBA franchise should formally collaborate with an adult entertainment venue, while others argue that Magic City is inseparable from Atlanta’s real cultural story and deserves recognition on that basis.

Local coverage has highlighted that the March 16 game will also include a pregame Hawks AF Live podcast event featuring Magic City owner Mr. Magic and rapper T.I., plus a special ticket package that bundles access to that event with seats for the game. Outlets have reported that T.I. is set to perform as part of the night’s programming, and that Magic City’s lemon pepper and “Louwill” wings — made famous during Lou Williams’ 2020 visit during the NBA Bubble — will be available at the arena.

As of now, the Hawks have stood by the promotion, citing Magic City’s long-standing impact on Atlanta’s culture and insisting that the game presentation will remain within NBA standards. With nearly two weeks to go before tipoff, “A Magical Night in the City” is already functioning as more than a theme night; it has become a flashpoint in a larger conversation about how professional sports teams acknowledge the full, sometimes complicated, reality of the cities they represent.