Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel 'Magic City Monday' promo

An NBA player from an opposing team has called on theAtlanta Hawksto cancel their upcoming game promotion that revolves around celebrating a well-known local gentleman's club.

San Antonio SpurscenterLukeKornetasked the Hawks to reconsider their "Magic City Monday" plans for a March 16 game against theOrlando Magicina letter posted to Mediumon Monday, March 2.Atlanta's ownership group and front office recently toutedthe one-night collaboration as an ode to an "iconic cultural institution," citing Magic City's role and impact in Atlanta's Black communities and hip-hop culture in the announcement.

But Kornet wrote that "the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, 'Atlanta's premier strip club.' "

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"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," Kornet continued. "We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.

"Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society."

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Magic City Kitchen is also slated to serve two versions of its "world famous" lemon pepper wings – Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ –at the March 16 game. The flavor is named after three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year-winner, Lou Williams. Rapper T.I. is scheduled to perform at halftime and limited edition Magic City merchandise will be available to purchase at the game.

Magic City celebrated 40 years witha five-part STARZ docuseries, 'Magic City: An American Fantasy,'that was produced by Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri. Magic City founder Michael "Mr. Magic" Barney and T.I. are scheduled to record a live podcast from inside Atlanta's State Farm Arena before the game.

Kornet, 30, hopes the Hawks and NBA officials listen to him instead.

"I'd like to encourage the league, its owners, employees and fans to hold theAtlanta Hawksto a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting," Kornet wrote. "I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks' decision. We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision."

Luke Kornet stats

Kornet is averaging a career-best 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his first season with the Spurs. This is the sixth team he's played for in his nine NBA seasons, with his previous four years spent on the Boston Celtics.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Luke Kornet asks Atlanta Hawks to stop Magic City strip club promotion

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Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel 'Magic City Monday' promo

An NBA player from an opposing team has called on theAtlanta Hawksto cancel their upcoming game promotion that revolves a...

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Colorado players practice after QB Dominiq Ponder's death 'with tears in their eyes'

Colorado footballplayers held an emergency team meeting Sunday, March 1, after thedeath of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponderand decided to start spring practice as planned on Monday instead of taking the day off.

But practice was "heavy" and the team is still processing its grief underhead coach Deion Sanders.

The team chose to practice as planned because it "exemplifies the type of guy that Dom was,"Coloradorunning back DeKalon Taylor told reporters in Boulder on Monday after practice. "He always came to work, always had a smile on his face, always wanted to get extra work. Honestly, that was the only thing we could do, really, to give him love."

Dominiq Ponder's death: 'It ain't gonna tear us apart'

Ponder, 23, died Sunday in a single-car accident in Boulder County at about 3 a.m., according to the Colorado State Patrol. The CSP said he lost control of his Tesla trying to negotiate a right-hand curve before rolling down an embankment, where the car caught fire. Speed was considered a factor in the accident, according to the CSP.

The news shocked the team Sunday as it prepared to openthe spring football seasonwith the first of 15 spring practices on Monday.

"It can either mold us or it can tear us apart," Colorado safety Ben Finneseth told reporters Monday in Boulder. "And it ain't gonna tear us apart."

Finneseth also said that Ponder's death has given the team renewed purpose.

"Everything that we are going to do moving forward is for him" he said.

Who was Dominiq Ponder?

Ponder was entering his junior season as a non-scholarship player after serving last year as the team's fourth-string quarterback. His death especially shook Colorado's quarterback room, where the quarterbacks meet regularly and where Ponder's energy was "contagious," according toColorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.

"We'll just save spot for him in the room,"Marion said.

Marion said he was proud of his players for practicing Monday "with tears in their eyes."

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"I was just proud of the guys for actually going out there, practicing today and toughing it out," Marion said.

Taylor said practice was "a little heavy at first."

"But once coach Marion got the guys going, and we all bought in, we had no other choice but to go hard for him, you know?" Taylor said. "I felt like it was a high-effort practice today. Everybody was at least running around, doing their best effort. And if they did mess up, we messed up full-speed, and that was the only way we could do it."

Pastor addresses Colorado football team

Pastor Keion Henderson addressed the team by video conference, as shown onThee Pregame Network, one of Sanders' favored YouTube channels.

"What happened just don't make sense," Henderson told the team. "And the beautiful thing about it is we don't have to pretend that it does. Grief is real. Shock is real. Questions are real. But so is love. And so is legacy."

Colorado ends spring practice with an open practice and scrimmage in Boulder on April 11.

"Adversity won't break us," Marion said. "It'll help us break records."

Sanders is scheduled to address the news media Friday. He offered a prayer on social media Monday.

"Lord help us," Sanders wrote on social media site X. "Wrap your arms around us & give us the words to speak comfort to one another in this time of need, want & despair for many. We Love u Lord and we Trust you in Jesus name. Amen."

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer@Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Deion Sanders, Colorado players rattled by Dominiq Ponder death

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Colorado players practice after QB Dominiq Ponder's death 'with tears in their eyes'

Colorado footballplayers held an emergency team meeting Sunday, March 1, after thedeath of Colorado quarterback Dominiq P...

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Photo shows slain Texas gunman with Iranian symbol on his T-shirt

CBS News has obtained a photo showing theAustin gunmanwearing a shirt emblazoned with a design similar to the Iranian flag.

Ndiaga Diagne, who was killed by police after he killed two people and wounded 14, was also wearing a hoodie that said "Property of Allah."

U.S. officials say Diagne was a Senegalese-born immigrant who came to the U.S. in 2000 on a tourist visa, got a green card in 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen and became an American citizen in 2013.

He had at least one prior arrest in 2022 in Texas stemming from a car collision. Sources familiar with the investigation also said Diagne had a history of mental health issues.

Officials have said they've been probing a potential terrorism nexus. A law enforcement source briefed on the matter said the gunman appears to have been fueled at least in part by theU.S. attack on Iran.

Sources said the gunman appears to have acted alone but that investigators are scrutinizing his digital footprint and his contacts to see he if was connected to anyone in the United States or overseas who may have influenced him to act.

Officials executed a search warrant at the gunman's home on Sunday and found an Iranian flag and pictures of Iranian leaders, according to an official with direct knowledge of the investigation. Sources told CBS News that a Quran was found in the gunman's vehicle.

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The shooting happened a little after 1:30 a.m local time on Sunday at Buford's, a bar in Austin's Sixth Street entertainment district.

Sources told CBS News that the gunman was driving around in an SUV circling the block when he began shooting from the vehicle's open window at people seated outdoors. He then exited the SUV and continued shooting as he walked up the street.

He was shot and killed by responding police officers. Multiple weapons were found in the SUV, sources said.

A video obtained by CBS News shows law enforcement officers with weapons running westbound away from Buford's as people in the street run and take cover. Austin Policesaidthe suspect had also moved westbound down the block after shooting at patrons at the bar, before then walking eastbound.

The footage was filmed by Nathan Comeaux, who witnessed police officers exchange fire with the gunman down the block. Comeaux said he saw the gunman fire at police before officers returned fire.

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Photo shows slain Texas gunman with Iranian symbol on his T-shirt

CBS News has obtained a photo showing theAustin gunmanwearing a shirt emblazoned with a design similar to the Iranian ...

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Video appears to show US F-15 fighter jet crashing in Kuwait

Footage taken in Kuwait appears to show aU.S. fighter jet crashing, with flames visible as the aircraft falls and a pilot ejects.

Video appears to show US F-15 fighter jet crashing in Kuwait

U.S. Central Command and Kuwait's Defense Ministry later confirmed that three American fighter jets crashed in Kuwait on Monday, March 2. The aircraft were F-15E "Strike Eagles," and all six aircrew members ejected safely. Officials said the crews were "unscathed" and in stable condition.

Kuwait authorities said they are coordinating with U.S. officials to investigate the cause of the crashes and the "circumstances of the incident," according to previousUSA TODAY reporting.

Latest updates:Iran conflict continues; 3 US fighter jets crash in Kuwait

The Pentagon said the planes went down during active combat operations due to an apparent friendly-fire incident, after they were mistakenly hit by Kuwaiti air defenses, U.S. officials said.

What kind of jets are part of the operation?

As a part of the attack on Iran, dubbedOperation Epic Fury, the U.S. military has deployed F-15E, F-18, F-16 and F-22 fighter jets.

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Additionally, the Pentagon said it has also deployed aircraft that specialize in communications, reconnaissance and refueling, as well as A-10 attack jets, F-35 stealth fighters and B-2 stealth bombers.

The United States and Israel began acoordinated wave of strikes against Iranon Feb. 28, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

Iranian state media later confirmed thatAyatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's longtime supreme leader, was killed in the initial attacks.

Officials on both sides say thestrikes also killed dozens of senior Iranian militaryand government figures. Trump said the campaign hit more than 1,000 targets across Iran, calling it a wide‑ranging military operation aimed at the country's leadership and key infrastructure.

Watch the video below

Watch the dramatic scene unfold.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reachher at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:US fighter jet crashes in Kuwait, footage appears to show

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Video appears to show US F-15 fighter jet crashing in Kuwait

Footage taken in Kuwait appears to show aU.S. fighter jet crashing, with flames visible as the aircraft falls and a pilot...

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Bucks say Antetokounmpo is questionable for Celtics game as he seeks to return from calf strain

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on the verge of returning from a calf strain that has caused the two-time MVP to miss the Milwaukee Bucks' last 15 games.

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The Bucks have released an injury report that lists Antetokounmpo as questionable for their Monday night game with the Boston Celtics.

The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo hasn't played sincestraining his right calfJan. 23 in a 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. A rightcalf strainalso had prevented him from playing for three weeks in December.

Antetokounmpo has missed a career-high 29 games this season, and 23 of them were because of calf strains. The Bucks are 15-15 with Antetokounmpo and 11-18 without him this season.

His return comes with the Bucks trying to work their way into the play-in tournament as they seek a 10th straight playoff berth.

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Milwaukee is 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, three games behind 10th-place Charlotte. The teams that finish the regular season seventh through 10th in the conference compete in a tournament for the East's two final playoff spots.

The Bucks put together an 8-2 stretch without Antetokounmpo from Feb. 3-25 but have lost their last two games by a combined 52 points. The Bucks were outscored 33-8 in the fourth quarter of a120-97 lossat Chicago on Sunday that ended the Bulls' 11-game skid.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He would be ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring, ninth in rebounding and just outside the top 25 in assists if he had played enough games to qualify among the league leaders.

He was selected to a 10th straight All-Star Game this season, though his injuryprevented him from playing.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

byGreen Magazine

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Bucks say Antetokounmpo is questionable for Celtics game as he seeks to return from calf strain

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on the verge of returning from a calf strain that has caused the two-time...

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