Hawks Legend Dominique Wilkins Accuses Atlanta Restaurant of Discrimination

Even 9-time NBA All-Star and slam dunk champion Dominique Wilkins experiences racial profiling. As seen on TMZ, Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins took to Twitter on Saturday (May 22) to share that he was racially profiled when he was turned away by Le Bilboquet, a restaurant located in Buckhead, Atlanta. The restaurant denied the accusation stating that it was just enforcing its strict dress code, which it claims Wilkins’ attire at the time did not adhere to. The Hall-of-Famer wrote on Twitter:

“In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta in @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack.”

He further detailed the situation saying, “They looked me up and down … and to add insult, talked about how my clothes were not appropriate when I was wearing designer casual pants and a shirt,” according to the celebrity gossip site.

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Initially, the restaurant defended itself and said in a follow-up statement:

“We, at Le Bilboquet, do our best to accommodate all of our guests. However, we have received consistent complaints from our patrons regarding other guest’s wardrobe choices.  As a result, to protect our restaurant’s culture, we installed a minimum standard in our ‘business casual’ attire dress code which includes jeans and sneakers but prohibits baseball caps and athletic clothing including sweat pants and tops.”

Le Bilboquet eventually issued an apology to Wilkins in an Instagram post stating:

“We want to apologize to Mr. Wilkins for his experience at our restaurant and also for any confusion our dress code may have caused. We in no way intended for him to feel unwanted, and welcome an open dialogue with him. Our upscale dining experience and our brand’s culture is made up of multiple elements, which include our music, our food and our patrons’ attire. We continue to strive to manifest our dining experience in a way that is exciting and most importantly, inclusive.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPOe1WTDufU/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=40f74df9-2501-40b3-a464-24f1bcb53dd5 As expected, ATLiens put on their capes to defend Wilkins and drag the restaurant for filth, disrespecting the Atlanta legend. You can peep more reactions in the gallery below. — Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty

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Yup.

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Welp.

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Obviously.

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Ruh roh. 

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Get em.

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https://twitter.com/KingStevie93/status/1396254486780432386?s=20

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https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1396494190691897347?s=20

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https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1396240399556087809?s=20

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https://twitter.com/mattvaughanAK/status/1396244668518567939?s=20