For years, the NBA has celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during games on MLK Day. Several of these games are traditionally played in Washington, D.C., where the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial resides, in Atlanta where King lived and is buried and in Memphis, the city where the National Civil Rights Museum resides and where King was tragically murdered in 1968. But due to timing of two other major events, Memphis will be the only one of the three hosting an NBA game on MLK Day on Jan. 20.
The Washington Wizards will not be hosting a game on MLK Day due to the Presidential Inauguration on Monday. The Atlanta Hawks will not be hosting a game on MLK Day either because of the College Football Playoff National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame on Monday. Just blocks from the National Civil Rights Museum, however, the Memphis Grizzlies will be hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on MLK Day in one of seven games played leaguewide.
King was a world-renowned Baptist minister, philosopher and social activist who played a key role in preaching nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement. The Atlanta native was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law on Nov. 2, 1983, designating the third Monday in January a federal holiday.
The NBA’s theme to celebrate MLK Day this year is King’s proclamation, “The time is always right to do what is right.” All 30 NBA teams will receive black MLK Day shooting shirts with that quote on the back and “Honor King” on the front that the players will be encouraged to wear during their MLK Day games. Teams not playing on the holiday will be asked to wear the warm-up T-shirts on the closest home game to MLK Day.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is excited about celebrating King’s legacy during Sunday’s game against the visiting Denver Nuggets.
“MLK Day has been a part of my life forever,” Banchero told Andscape. “One thing I always associate with MLK Day for me is basketball. I’ve always had MLK tournaments. Elementary school through AAU to high school, we’ve had MLK tournaments. So, whenever we’re celebrating Martin Luther King, I always feel like there should be some good basketball being played. And obviously, we know what Martin Luther King did for not only our country, but for the world.
“Helping us progress in the right direction and help us love one another, no matter the color of our skin. You see that more than ever now in the NBA and all over. You got guys from all different backgrounds, races, religions, all in this one league, playing against each other, competing. Honestly, none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for Martin Luther King. So, it’s always an honor to celebrate this day and hopefully play some basketball.”
The following are some of the highlights of how some NBA teams are celebrating King’s legacy this holiday weekend.
NBA
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks hosted an MLK Day of Service to address food insecurity on Jan. 13. Typically, on MLK Day, the Hawks would host a game to celebrate King’s legacy with a gospel choir announce their starting lineup.
Boston Celtics
Celtics forward Xavier Tillman participated in an MLK-themed shirt design activity with 30 youth from Family Independence and Casa Esperanza – Latinas y Niños on Jan. 7. The Celtics hosted an HBCU Experience Event on Jan. 16 centering on Dr. King’s HBCU experience at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The Celtics also plan to celebrate King’s legacy during Saturday’s game against the Hawks with players wearing the MLK shooting shirts, player addresses and a national anthem performance by civil rights activist and singer Danny Rivera.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors and the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition (NBSJC) will host The Rebound: Second Chances & The Power of Basketball tonight at Chase Center in San Francisco. The event will be highlighted by a conversation about the NBA and Warriors’ commitment to second chances for incarcerated and justice-impacted individuals. Warriors guard Moses Moody; Warriors executive vice-president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob and Warriors chief legal officer David Kelly are slated to be amongst the participants.
Dr. Clarence B. Jones, King’s speechwriter, will address the Warriors team during pregame on MLK Day before they play the Celtics. The Oakland Unified School District MLK Oratorical Festival will perform at halftime.
Memphis Grizzlies
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
The Grizzlies partnered with FedEx to host a community basketball clinic for 100 youth from Memphis community centers during their MLK Day of Service on Jan. 8. On Jan. 14, the Grizzlies Foundation and the Community Engagement Department joined with local youth artists to showcase King’s legacy through are during the “Visualizing the Dream” event. On Sunday, the Grizzlies and National Civil Rights Museum will host Junior Grizzlies Coaches and League Directors in a discussion on how to support the Mid-South youth participating in the Junior Grizzlies League with a panel discussion featuring Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and Hall of Famer Grant Hill.
The Grizzlies will host the Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium on Monday at FedEx Forum in Memphis with a conversation with Sports Legacy Award winners Miller, track legend Tommie Smith and former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire. The Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium is free to attend with a Grizzlies gameday ticket.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves and WNBA Minnesota Lynx front office staff hosted a Pack Day of Service on Jan. 14 at Second Harvest Heartland. Tomorrow, the T-Wolves are slated to celebrate King during their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with MLK-related player addresses, videos of players discussing King’s impact and a video recap of the Pack Day of Service.