As Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed throughout the United States on Monday, the NBA will host another action-packed day with 28 teams set to take the court.
The NBA has honored the civil rights leader for 34 years as the sport has been at the forefront of diversity and inclusion. The holiday represents the second-largest day of programming on the schedule behind Christmas Day and has become quite meaningful to players.
“MLK Day is the birthplace of civil rights activism,” Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter told Rookie Wire. “He fought against racism and discrimination to try to get equal rights for African Americans. MLK Day honors his memory so I think it’s important to play on that day and it is an honor.”
Part of the vast tradition of playing on MLK Day includes annual games in Memphis, Tennessee, to honor the city’s role in civil rights history. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern prioritized playing basketball on the holiday and that has resulted in the Grizzlies hosting their 18th Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Game on Monday afternoon.
The tradition of showcasing the best teams on MLK Day resonated with Celtics rookie Grant Williams.
“It shows how the NBA truly tries to break a divide,” Williams told Rookie Wire. “You look at basketball as a sport and it connects people from different cultures, backgrounds, financial statuses and it puts them all in one and allows them to enjoy each other.
I feel like that’s how the world will become one day as a sport that will make the change that Martin Luther King started through his advocacy and his speeches and his right’s movement versus the sport can now, hopefully, bring everyone together collectively where we can all put everything aside and just focus one thing and make each other better.
With social injustice and racism still very much an issue, NBA players recognize how important it is to use their platform to help influence change. Current and past players like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Kanter have become vocal in speaking out against social issues.
In addition to using their voice, several players often help give back to the community by meeting the youth to help inspire. Williams recently teamed up with Becoming A Man, a Massachusetts mentoring program, to create a dialogue on integrity, responsibility, respect for womanhood and other related topics.
“When I was younger, I used to look up to people in the NBA, NFL and I would always say, ‘If I ever got to that point, I would give back,'” Williams said.
To give power to these young black males who are going through some of the same issues that I had growing up but different guidance to give them that step ahead that can make them better so I always told them just to be themselves, not to focus on outside surroundings. If you can affect one life, you can affect many just by that one you affected that day. I’m thankful for [Becoming a Man] and I’m thankful to help those young kings in what they do in their life.
The Celtics, through the Shamrock Foundation, also helped launch the Playbook Initiative that inspires dialogue on race, religion, gender, disability and sexual orientation and ultimately equips kids with the tools to intervene in challenging social situations.
The program, inspired by the 2016-17 Celtics, left an impact on Kanter.
That was probably one of the best events I have done in my nine years in the NBA. We talk about some real stuff: Racism, sexism, equality, etc. For me, that was so important because it taught the kids that it doesn’t matter what your background is, it doesn’t matter what your skin color is, we need to leave our differences on the table and try to find what we have in common.
As teammates on the Celtics, Williams often looks up to Kanter, who has become a pivotal voice on speaking out on his home country of Turkey. Kanter has taken aim at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his policies and stance on human rights among other items.
Kanter has faced severe backlash from Turkey due to his political statements. The Turkish government revoked his passport and submitted his name to Interpol, demanding his extradition after the government labeled him an enemy. The battle with his country isn’t lost on Williams.
We’re given this platform to affect change and help the next generation see the blueprint we’re trying to have in store for the future. So, anything that we can do now, it can help us 30 years down the line. I would love for my children to see that. The guys around me, you look at a guy, on my team for example, like Enes Kanter, who has been fighting for freedom every five seconds he’s on the earth right now.
As the NBA gears up for such an important day off of the court, the players still know that there is a game to be played on the court. While Kanter has previously played on MLK Day, Williams is preparing for his first matchup as the Celtics host the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Celtics and Lakers rivalry has become one of the most well-known in NBA history and, particularly, on MLK Day, the rivalry means even more. The two teams faced off in the NBA Finals four times during the height of the Civil Rights Movement as Celtics center Bill Russell even attended King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
For his first time competing on MLK Day, Williams is looking forward to playing against the likes of James, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis and others.
“I’m a competitor so I’m going to look at is like another game,” Williams said. “I remember when Dwight Howard went to the championship against [the Lakers]. I remember when JaVale [McGee] dribbled up the court and dribbled off of his foot and ended up on Shaqtin’ a Fool one day. I remember Anthony Davis and how impactful he was at Kentucky and the Pelicans.
“Of course, you get to see Rondo come back to Boston and do what he always does. It’s going to be a game that, hopefully, is as worldwide as possible because Celtics-Lakers, you remember those games when Magic and Bird did it and you remember when K.G. and Kobe did it and before that, too. I’m super stoked to be able to say I’m playing on Martin Luther King Day and against such a talented team.”
The activism of King in the 1950s and 1960s forever changed the course of history in the United States and around the world and the NBA and its players recognize their role to help keep fighting for equality and inclusion for all.
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