EXCLUSIVE: NBA legend Dominique Wilkins opens up about experiencing the sting of racial discrimination when host of upscale Atlanta restaurant Le Bilboquet 'looked him up and down' then turned him away to 'keep a level of elegance'

Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | July 12, 2021 | Laura Collins

[Cecily]

Any venue that wants to "maintain a level of elegance" is going to have to require coat, tie and dress shoes for men, period, and a comparable requirement for women (business attire, not business "casual"). Anything else leaves too much room for interpretation.

[cyclotic]

I wonder how he was dressed?

[gundog]

Matching hoodie and sweat pants?

[Responsibility2nd]

He’s a lying SOS.

He didn’t meet the dress code. So now he’s playing the race card.

[1Old Pro]

I wonder how he was dressed?

Sweats when the restaurant had a dress code.

[Cecily]

He was reported to have worn “designer” sports attire or something along those lines, which the restaurant was seen to allow others to wear.

[PGR88]

But Wilkins said, 'A lot of times people disguise discrimination or racism through different methods. In this place it was in the form of a dress code'

Its the job of everyone, everywhere, to always make black people feel good about themselves.

[LIConFem]

I had the same thig happen to me in a Ethan Allan furniture store. So what? Get over it.

[carikadon]

Must have been how he was dressed. Really doubt it had to do with race considering Atlanta is 80%+ black.

[SecondAmendment]

I don't believe it, he was probably just upset because they didn't serve Chicken McNuggets™ ...

[ThunderSleeps]

Agreed. I suspect the refusal to seat him and his party had far more to do with attire than skin color. Hey, I’ve been given a tie to wear “so I wouldn’t feel out of place” in an establishment in NYC. Not racism, as 20-something geek I just didn’t anticipate the host of our business meeting suggesting that kind of place.

[TexasGator]

Upset because he thought he didn’t need a reservation?

[TexasGator]

He thought he could get an immediate seating with no reservation.

[joshua c]

is this a whites only restaurant

any black patrons served?

[17th Miss Regt]

“No Chicken McNuggets? What type of a place is this? Okay, I’ll take a double Whopper.”

[Steve_Seattle]

I’m assuming this was some sort of dress code violation (”he looked him up and down”), and not a racial thing, which probably would have been illegal. Many years ago, I was asked to leave a hoity-toity bar because I was wearing a hat, which I was told violated their dress code. I think they associated the wearing of hats indoors with gang culture or pimping.

[joshua c]

this sounds more like a “do you know who i am?” situation

[DCPatriot]

Nope! He was turned away because he was wearing essentially warm-up jersey & pants with athletic shoes.

[woodbutcher1963]

“Yo, do you know who I am?”

[dfwgator]

Guess not all UGA Athletes can be as classy as Herschel Walker.