Despite the NBA canceling the Magic City promotion, the crowd came to life for TI’s halftime performance during the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic game.

While some NBA fans were in a somber mood after the NBA decided to cancel the Magic City promotion, the ATL icon’s performance made them forget – even if only for a few minutes. TI performed his latest single, “Let ‘Em Know”, which came out in January, which got the crowd standing, dancing and rapping along to the lyrics.

The Hawks’ primary owner, Jami Gertz, has ties to the Magic City as he was the producer of a five-part documentary that honored the club’s legacy, and how it influenced hip-hop, Black culture, and the city of Atlanta.

“After the work we did to create ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’ this collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me,” Gertz said when the promotion was announced. “The iconic Atlanta institution has had such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”

Some NBA fans were very happy with the infamous strip club’s partnership with the Hawks as they are both prominent parts of the culture. While some fans were excited for the collaboration, which would have started with last night’s game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shut down the promotion.

“When we learned of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and reasoning,” Silver said in a statement. “While we appreciate the team’s vision and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a wide range of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees. I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”

While some Hawks fans were disappointed, the franchise respected the NBA’s decision.

“Although we are deeply disappointed by the NBA’s decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion, we fully respect its decision,” the Hawks said in a statement. “As a franchise, we are committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta – with authenticity – in ways that continue to unify and bring us closer together.”

The Chicago Bulls host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. It also marked the return of one of Chicago’s favorite players, Taj Gibson.

When Gibson entered the game, he was warmly welcomed by the fans at the United Center, according to RealMyKibets on Twitter (formerly Twitter). Additionally, according to Casey Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, the 40-year-old Gibson said he was not sure he would be able to return to play.

Gibson was last in town on January 24 against the Boston Celtics to witness his former teammate Derrick Rose’s jersey retirement ceremony.

Standing ovation for Taj Gibson in 2026. pic.twitter.com/SsLoUKSeFS

– MikeyBets (@RealMikeyBets) 17 March 2026

In February, Gibson signed a two-year contract with the Grizzlies after they acquired Kyle Anderson. On March 13, he made his debut, playing 13 minutes and scoring 3 points as the Grizzlies lost to the Detroit Pistons 126–110. Last year, Gibson played for the Charlotte Hornets and before that for the Pistons.

However, Gibson made his mark with the Bulls. He played in Chicago from 2009 to 2017 after coming out of USC. In 2010, Gibson made the NBA All-Rookie team and in 2014, he was the runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year.

Additionally, Gibson became known as an effective defensive presence, especially in blocking. Additionally, the Bulls made two playoff appearances during his tenure in 2011 and 2015. In 2011, they finished with a 62–20 record and reached the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in five games.

Four years later, the Bulls finished with a 50–32 record. Ultimately, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The New Orleans Pelicans haven’t been the best all season, but they have found a little life the past few weeks since the return of Dejounte Murray. He has made things easier for the Pelicans with his play and is another scoring option they need. What’s even better is that he can get as close as he needs to, and he’s not afraid to take the shot.

That’s what happened in their latest game against the Toronto Raptors, where the Pelicans were looking to shut them out. Murray had the ball and Jamal Sheed was protecting him. He hit some moves on Sheed which caused him to fall to the floor and Murray hit a shot.

The end of that sequence was something like this.

This picture of Dejounte Murray after taking down Jamal Sheed 🥶 https://t.co/VC7K7sxhgg pic.twitter.com/YWGanOLzEK

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 12 March 2026

It wasn’t a great moment for Shead, but Murray was in the news at least for the next minute. At that time, it was clear that the Pelicans missed him for most of the season.

After the game, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic spoke about the incident that occurred after the shot.

Rajakovic said, “I don’t give it too much attention there. The guys are competitive. What they did there was probably off the board. I got to see it on film. But I don’t want to make too much of it.”

That moment may stick around, but at some point, people will forget about it until something else like it happens.

In seven games this season, Murray is averaging 17.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. The Pelicans have been near the bottom of the Western Conference for most of the season, but if Murray continues to play there is a chance they will finish the year strong.

They have no reason to tank like other teams in the lower tier because they don’t have their picks in this year’s draft.

If the semifinals were half as good as the quarterfinals, we’re in for some exciting hockey. Yesterday, several New Jersey Devils were eliminated after Switzerland and Sweden were sent home via elimination. There are only two devils left.

In the link, how Quinn Hughes led Team USA to the semifinals, Alexis Lafreniere talks about the brutal reality of the Blueshirts and Sidney Crosby’s injury.

Let’s do that hockey.

Devil’s Trade Rumors and News

Yesterday was a special day of Olympic hockey action in Milan. Jack Hughes and Simon Nemec are the final Devils in the tournament after Slovakia eliminated Germany and the United States eliminated Sweden. Tomorrow in the semi-finals, Canada will face Finland and America will face Czechia.

Jack recorded a big assist on Dylan Larkin’s goal against Sweden. He has increased his total points to four (1G, 3A) from four matches in the tournament. Nemec did not contribute to the scoresheet, but Slovakia defeated Germany 6–2. Here are all the scores from yesterday:

📺 Devils Rink Report: Okay so at forward, Jack Hughes has been the Devils’ best forward. But on the blueline, it’s all about Simon Nemec. I explained why on the Devil’s Rink Report.

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NHL Trade Talk, News and National Hockey Now

The Athletic ($): In last year’s 4-Nation Face-Off, Team USA didn’t have Quinn Hughes for the big moment. When they needed him most, he scored the OT winner against Sweden to advance to the semi-finals.

NY Post ($): The New York Rangers have completed preparations for the 2025-26 season. Alexis Lafreniere tells the NY Post about the brutal reality ahead for the Blueshirts.

Forever Blueshirts: Speaking of Rangers, Mika Zibanejad is one of those Blueshirts who was at Milan. His loan goal against the red, white and blue yesterday was not enough to keep Sweden in the tournament.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Of all the great things that happened amid several excellent hockey games yesterday, one big one didn’t stand out. Pittsburgh Penguins and Team Canada captain, Sidney Crosby, missed yesterday’s game against Czechia with a lower body injury and did not return.

Vegas Hockey Now: If you think Team USA is cutting it close, Canada is probably cutting it even closer. They trailed Czechia for most of yesterday’s game. Still, they made their way to overtime, and it was Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner who called the game.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls