NBA Hall of Famer on being turned away from restaurant: I was blown away

NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins tells CNN's Don Lemon about visiting a restaurant in Atlanta that refused to seat him and his girlfriend.

#CNN #News

107 comments

  1. Everybody talks about ‘Training!’…….Do you really need training too be a decent human being?…… For godsake it’s 2021!!……

    1. I’ve said the exact same thing, what training do you need to treat people with decency? Especially in the restaurant industry it’s literally your job to treat people with decency.

    2. Thank you, I am so sick an tired of the “Training narrative” it’s an excuse for foul behavior .

    1. @Chris Ashcroft great points. These days, I simply cannot take stories like this at face value. Certainly not when Don Lemon is involved

    2. @Chris Ashcroft – A rich black celebrity got rejected because of dress code, got his feelings hurt and wants to scream discrimination?

      Classic! Which card is he playing? The rich card? The famous card? The black card? Or all three?

    3. Again; where the hell are you getting these narratives,? At what point was it mentioned or explained to Mr.Wilkins that the establishment was by reservation only?🤔Was it a reservation only type of restraunt?
      If it was, I’m sure Mr.Wilkins would’ve surely left without further incident…did those two sloppily dressed customers have reservations?
      Give the man the benifit of the doubt, for crisesakes! 😆

    4. or perhaps SBLM can burn them to the ground.
      no questions asked…..lol. because we all know that asking questions is RAACCIISSSTT

  2. One of the greatest NBA showmen of all time. Besides that, a man, just trying to eat lunch. DW said it best, “it shouldn’t happen to anybody”. Get it together humans 🤦‍♂️

    1. @Paula Landry I wouldn’t call that an apology it was more like a clarification on what happened. It was dress code

    2. I wonder what happen if 👽 just decided to have lunch would you turn them away also because of their skin color? You probably would and then get ZAPPED! by the lazer gun. Remember people GOD don’t like ugly. Hatred is a SIN and SIN is ugly. Lots of y’all not going to make it in to heaven because of Hatred. This for all race GOD looks at the heart not the color of your skin that he created. Try JESUS! Now on my sense of humor side Dominique you’re getting old maybe close to 60 and younger folks white and black only know LeBron!

    3. @Paula Landry that is the world we live in – almost every business goes on the defence when the woke left jump on them. they know they have the means to harm their business and who’s to say that they the likes of SLBM do not burn it to the ground like he countless number of businesses they destroyed last year.

    4. @Paula Landry Some people, you just can’t reason with! He clearly stated what he was wearing, which didn’t violate their “dress code”.
      Which clearly, other people, of a lighter hue, clearly violated!!!
      But that’s ok!…. right.🤔😷🧐

    5. John Peebles I know, they are just so hateful it’s disgusting. I’m so glad I’m not a rebuttliken it must be exhausting to carry around that much anger and hatred

  3. You would think that people in Atlanta would know who Mr. Wilkins is, but then again security at MSG had no idea who Mr. Ewing was.

    1. “This Is The Real America Black And Brown People Have To Deal With 24/7”. 1619 – 2021 Seriously Disappointing America Has Never Changed Or Improved When It Comes To Systemic Racism.

    2. They didn’t know who EWING was? In His OWN House? Are You kidding? Theey SHOULD remember. The NYKs haven’t won JACK since He left.

    1. @Alan Dematei we have to start telling the truth and stop trying to push lies and misconstrued perceptions of American history. That’s not going to work. Tell the truth. We can’t change things and heal if people like you are willing to hold on to lies.

    2. Hate is burden too great to bear??? …….the world has been is full of HATE …..for such a very long time

    1. @david hale He didn’t have a reservation. If you’re poorly dressed and don’t have a reservation you’re out of luck. Now you want a premium table? And if you don’t get an outside table it’s clearly systemic racism?
      Restaurants don’t serve at full capacity for multiple reasons. Mainly staffing. And they are more likely to accommodate a reservation.
      Ive been turned away for wearing flip flops. Dress codes are a thing. Basketball shorts are different than dress shorts. Athletic apparel is not acceptable some places and he didn’t give a clear narrative on what he was wearing.
      In fact they went back to check on the policy!!!!!!……..A clear set up.
      Then we get the headline that he was turned away solely because of the color of his skin?
      The color of his skin?
      Don Lemon knew the restaurant.
      They served Don Lemon!!!
      They serve black people everyday.
      Here’s my best argument…
      Every host or hostess in every restaurant I’ve ever been to in my entire life has treated everyone like the most pathetic moron that ever lived. It’s just a thing.

    2. @Aaron Friedman I am not reading this go pick on some one else why are you making a big deal about this A Trump supporter??

  4. He should have taken pictures of all the people in shorts, tshirts,and sneakers. We need to patronize our own cultural restaurants. Asian Americans and Latinos are great at keeping dollars circulating among they own businesses.

    1. The fake president select is allowing the Brazilian variant come in unchecked, GOOD JOB MORONS

    2. Collared shirts are suggested for gentlemen. Casualwear including baseball caps, flip-flops, slides, excessively revealing clothing, cut-offs, sweat pants and athletic attire are considered too informal for the dining experience we provide at Le Bilboquet.

      t-shirts are OK but not recommended. Sweat Pants are on the no go list. Their dress standards do not mention sneakers or shorts.

    3. @Eddie what, expose how everyone else was adhering to the dress code and how none of them were wearing sweat pants….lol

  5. I’ve lived 50 years, work and walked along side many people from many different places with many different skin colors. I’ve learned one thing. There are two types of people. Good and bad. You judge others by their actions and character not the color of their skin.

    1. @J Mass Man I’ll be lucky if I get to 90, I am not bragging, If you knew anything in life you would know its a big deal turning 50, but you can’t seem to get you nose out of your phone long enough to see that real life passing you by. You going to catch it or are you going to a phone princess>

    2. @rockugotcha You think I don’t know that. Im talking to the dumb stupid folks who think the color of the skin makes a person. It’s the heart, the soul, the character that makes a person. It seems you don’t know that and all you have going on in you life is you have your nose stuck in your phone putting it where it don’t belong.

    3. @Cole Chillen Of course I see color, I take pride and respect people of all walks of life. If you think I see things in black in white. Let me tell you, I have one bad eye and can’t see out of the other and I see more things in life than most people will see in ten life times. I’m walked this earth, seen both good and horrible things. Lived them. I’ve seen what good people of all walks of live bring and Ive also seen the horrid things evil people bring. It’s not about color, I don’t care if you are seven feet talk, if your cool , we can get down, if your not cool, I’ll keep my distance. No need to hate on someone for the sake of hating, Now if you would please, get a new hobby. Trolling people is so 2013.

  6. That “dress code “ was so subjective. It gives servers and wait staff too much authority to decline customers. This should never happen to ANYONE, regardless of their status.

    1. A simple “sorry, tables are full, were taking reservations only at this time..” would’ve explained the whole situation…if you’re gonna train racist staff, train them to think on their feet better! 😆😆😆

      Sorry…extremely bad joke! 😲😲😲

    2. If you are white and get turned away, this wouldn’t be an issue. Black people are the real racists!

    3. the dress standards are pretty clear.

      no flip-flops, baseball caps or sweat pants – this clown rocked up to the restaurant wearing tracksuit pants

    1. It’s the owners of the place, who decide who will get turned away. If those employees sat Wilkins, they would have been fired. Right here, is the answer of whether the U.S.A. is still a racist country. Racism hiding in plain sight. It sucks.

    2. They are trained to respond that way. The people need to hit them where it hurts and that’s in the pockets. I’d never go there for any reason you don’t treat people that way

  7. The statement should read: “unfortunately we do not accept black people in out establishment “.

  8. Not even a business crippling pandemic will humble these people, just goes to show how deep this runs.

    1. @Clark Anderson Don Lemon knew the restaurant.
      Don Lemon got service.
      Are you really saying black people are not allowed in this restaurant??
      They serve black people everyday doofus.

    2. @Hagg Bisquette What do you mean? Are these men all part of some gay cabal in Atlanta? A casual lunch among men in loose fitting pants? It is a rather feminine response to the situation….. Getting all emotional and comparing it to burning crosses. It’s kinda gay.

  9. The fact that this man had a cross burned in his front yard for choosing to go to the University of Georgia..holy hell.
    Georgia really is the most backward state in this country.

  10. Everyone go and leave a review on their google page. That’s the ONLY thing that will make them change.

    1. I hope they go out of business, they deserve it! Don’t patronize places like this, why help them, don’t spend your money there!

    1. Racists hate successful black people the most. They can’t stand the idea that a black person makes more money than they do.

  11. “To protect our restaurant’s culture” – I’m surprised they didn’t say ‘heritage’ but close enough

    1. @Big Boomer they have dress standards. perhaps you should be less ignorant and spend the time reading them.

  12. He better be glad they turned him away. I don’t trust places like that . They could spit in your food.

    1. @Quinn Martin

      I’ve seen it done. I won’t share the things I saw besides what I said. Eventually I left the scene because I wasn’t happy with the work anymore.

  13. I’ve met Dominique Wilkins before. He’s a class act but tell me HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO HE IS IN ATLANTA?!?!

    1. How many 6’10 power forwards are walking around?! Cmon yall. We don’t all look the same…damn.

    2. It doesn’t matter who he is or was! or how much he has in his bank, he’s black period, that is, the forefront. they dont want you there, blacks continue to try and have white peoples approval.

  14. We don’t want empty apologies. Fire the people who don’t know customer service instead of promising it won’t happen again.

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