Amid controversy inside and outside the league, theAtlantaHawks' "Magic City Monday" is moving forward on March 16 — and ticket prices are booming.
The collaboration, between the NBA team andiconic strip club Magic City, was announced at the end of February, but it didn't take long for pushback to bubble up from players and fans.
Luke Kornet, a player for the San Antonio Spurs, wrote a blog post denouncing the event which was later posted as an opinion piece in theAtlanta Journal-Constitution. Kornet said the collaboration was disrespectful to women and doesn't promote a protective atmosphere.
His comments split the internet, with some support from other players and plenty of backlash from the Atlanta community.
What is 'Magic City Monday'?
The night will include a live taping of theHawks podcastdiscussing a recent Starz documentary about the club before the game against the Orlando Magic, as well as a performance from T.I. at the half and Magic City's famous lemon pepper chicken wings.
"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,'" Jami Gertz, producer of the documentary and part-owner of the Hawks, said in the release. "The iconic Atlanta institution has made an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture."
Magic City has operated in Atlanta for four decades, providing a launching point for some of rap's biggest artists.
It's also the strip club Lou Williams, a former Hawks player, gotbusted for visitingduring the COVID-19 lockdowns when he was able to leave the bubble for a family member's memorial service. Williams said at the time he was stopping at the club to pick up dinner. The club now has a wing flavor named after him.
Williams is now supporting the collaboration, and told TMZ "it's about ATL, it's about the Hawks, it's about Magic (City), so shout out to all parties involved."
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"Everybody won't be happy with everything. I think it's an opportunity for everybody to be educated on things they agree with and things that they don't agree with," Williams said.
Juju Barney,son of the Magic City founderand current manager of the club, and a dancer identified as Yaya, told TMZ the event will "celebrate good music, the wings" and be a place to "sell our merch."
"We are not, like, bringing entertainers to the game," Barney said. "There will be no nudity whatsoever, at all. ... It's strictly just wings and music and people having a good time."
Ticket prices soar for 'Magic City' game
While some may be cautious, the controversy hasn't slowed down fans in Atlanta fromsnagging ticketsto the special game.
Tickets for the Hawks' March 7 game against the Philadelphia 76ers range from $51.50 to the low thousands, but a seat in front of T17 in State Farm Arena is about $180.
Nearly identical seats in the same section for the Magic City Monday game are $476. The "best seats" reach nearly $10,000.
The Hawks declined to comment for USA Today, but a spokesperson toldFront Office Sportsthe team has no plans to make changes to the event.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today's Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Controversy didn't slow down 'Magic City Monday' as ticket prices rise
