As Americans celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, the NBA will stage a full slate of games on MLK Day – and the Atlanta Hawks will take the floor wearing a special-edition “MLK” uniform honoring King, an Atlanta native.
The Hawks have been working on creating an MLK jersey for several years, according to The Undefeated. The Hawks came up with the idea in 2018, leading to a collaboration with Nike, the NBA and The King Center. The jersey is full of thoughtful tributes to King weaved into the design.
Via The Undefeated:
“The stars along the sides of the shorts represent 22 times King was jailed fighting for justice and equality. And the waistband displays the Hawks’ primary icon logo encircled in black to symbolize “the continuous quest of the Black community to achieve freedom and justice.”
The Hawks host the Timberwolves at 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
"Just having him on the front of our jersey shows what we're about as a program." — @DreHunter
Today we finally debut our 20-21 MLK Nike City Edition uniforms#EarnTheseLetters | @Chase pic.twitter.com/ILklJW0enU
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 18, 2021
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