J-Speaks: The NBA And MLK Day

Monday, Jan. 21, 2017 is the celebration of one of the greatest leaders to ever walk the face of Earth. A leader who through non-violence and his use of remarkable words helped to shape a world that was divided. While things are better today, the journey for equal rights and respect for all mankind continues as we try to achieve the dream of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many involved in the National Basketball Association, particularly the players of today understand where we have come from and where need to continue to improve.

The NBA took centerstage today with a nine-game slate of Monday, and on Sunday night with the annual MLK home game by the Memphis Grizzlies (25-18), who lost versus the Chicago Bulls (21-21) 108-104 at FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN on Sunday night on ESPN.

The game marked the 15^th straight season Memphis hosted a game on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. The Grizzlies record fell to 6-9 in the holiday game.

To commemorate the occasion, the Grizzlies players wore special MLK50 Pride uniforms. The players’ numbers were in sea foam blue with the letters and piping with a T-shirt look instead of the normal sleeveless jersey. The piping was a replica of the railing that was in front of the rooms at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was assassinated 49 years ago, and the blue color was also like the doors on the rooms.

During warmups of Monday’s NBA contest, the players wore shirts created by Adidas that had Dr. King’s photo on it which was followed by the words of, “His dream inspired the world. Never stop dreaming. MLK.” On the back the shirt had #ihaveadream.  

During intermission of yesterday’s contest, current NBA analysts for NBATV/NBA on TNT and former NBA greats Grant Hill and Steve Smith and WNBA great Lisa Leslie were presented with the Sports Legacy Award in front of 18,119 in attendance.

Hill, Smith, and Leslie, who became just the second woman just the second-ever female honoree received this great honor for their significant contributions during their careers in basketball to civil and human rights as well for how they each laid a foundation for future leaders.

Due to a family emergency, Leslie was unable to attend the weekend festivities and former WNBA player Jennifer Azzi accepted the Sports Legacy Award on her behalf and former Sports Legacy recipient Jason Collins took part in the other festivities over the weekend.

“I deeply regret not being able to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy with all of you and accept the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award in person,” Leslie, a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA in 2001 and 2002 said via a video message.

“On behalf of me and my family I would like to thank the Memphis Grizzlies, The National Civil Rights Museum and the city of Memphis for this great honor and to my fellow honorees Grant Hill and Steve Smith congratulations. Thanks again and I really look forward to visiting Memphis soon.”

Hill, Smith, and Collins took part in several events throughout this past weekend, which included a panel discussion of topics of race and sports, which was presented by Coors Light back on Saturday afternoon at the National Civil Rights Museum. Joining Hill, Smith and Leslie for this discussion were Grizzlies Head Coach David Fizdale, Marc Spears from ESPN’s The Undefeated and many others.

“It was powerful. To have Marc Spears there from Undefeated. Of course, David Fizdale and his experience and his upbringing and the impact he’s making here in this Memphis community,” Hill the No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft said during the Bulls versus Grizzlies broadcast on Sunday.

“But to just talk about the intersection of race in sports and some of the issues that are prevalent now and some of the roles that players today are using to make a difference and speaking up talking about these social injustices. I enjoyed hearing everybody else talk, but also just being able to share with the community here in Memphis our thoughts and our perspective.”

They also participated in the Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium at the Grizzlies Built Ford Tough Training Facility at FedEx Forum early on Sunday evening, that was emceed by FOX Sports Tennessee play-by-play analyst for the Grizzlies Pete Pranica. Each shared from their unique perspective and personal experiences stories when it comes to their contributions to civil and human rights in the spirit of Dr. King.

Many of the Grizzlies before the game on Sunday shared their feelings about Dr. King and his legacy.

“Dr. King and his legacy for me is a code to live by. He gave us something to follow,” Fizdale in his first season as Grizzlies head coach said over the weekend. “I would think that he would be proud of how much players serve people that are in need. I also think he would be extremely proud of how aware our NBA players are when it comes to social injustice and things that’s going on in our communities that aren’t right, right now and the fact that our guys are willing to not only to speak up on behalf of the people that’s been hurt, but also do something about finding solutions.”

“Our world was in dire need of somebody to lead and the way that he did it just paved the way for people like myself to have opportunities that I have today,” Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said. “I’m just grateful for everything that he’s done.”  

Veteran guard Vince Carter said he had a lot of information about who Dr. King was, but being in Memphis and having the opportunity to play for the Grizzlies the past three seasons, he has learned more about the legacy that Dr. King has left. “I learned so much more just being here,” he said. “Getting the opportunity to play in the game, now in my third year it’s special. This is our game.”

One of the greatest things that has separated the NBA from other major pro sports is the diversity of the players; coaches and even front office personnel. Unlike most leagues like the NFL that had to implore the so-called “Rooney Rule,” so that each team when they have a head coaching opening, it is required that the team interviews a minority candidate as part of their search.

That has not been the case in the NBA, where seeing not just minority players on teams, but having major diversity on the sidelines, even in the front office and in the referees. It is something that we can thank former NBA Commissioner David Stern a great deal for and it has continued under the current Commissioner Adam Silver.

“Well I would hope Dr. King would be proud of the NBA today,” Conley said. “So many different athletes from different parts of the world coming together to be brothers. That’s something you wouldn’t imagine 70 years ago.”

On Sunday, many of the Portland Trail Blazers’ (18-24) players prior to their 1 p.m. MLK Day tilt at the Washington Wizards (20-19) on Monday afternoon, they had a chance to visit the African American History Museum.

Having the chance to play on day in honor of one of the most important people in the history of the U.S. and to visit a place that chronicles the history of African Americans was special, which starting guard C.J. McCollum to the team’s sideline reporter Brooke Olzendam before the game.

“His legacy means a lot to me. He opened a lot of doors for not only African Americans, but a lot of minorities out there,” he said. “Thankful for the opportunity to play on Martin Luther King Day and looking forward to continuing to carry on a good legacy.”

Backup guard Shabazz Napier echoed those same thoughts about Dr. King by saying, “He inspired a lot of folks and its legendary to the point where we still at this point in time we marvel over what he did. What he was able to do and not react in a violent way.”

McCollum said that visiting the museum on Sunday was a lot of fun and being able to learn about the history of African Americans through what he called the “dope setting” that they put together that cost close to $540 million consisting of extensive details of what it was like in each era from the 1500s to now in terms of musicians, actors, and actresses to civil rights leaders. “Being able to see that all come together was nice,” McCollum said.

Many other NBA players saw MLK Day as an opportunity to pay homage to how far we have come as a nation, but how much further we need to go in terms of how we treat each other, see one another and how we all can make each other better as people.

“His messages of unity and us being together is something that we need right now,” Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard said. “We need to understand each other. We need to respect each other, then we need to love each other.”

Howard went on to say a quote from Dr. King, which was, “Hate cannot drive out hate. The only thing that can drive out hate is love.”

Chicago Bulls’ perennial All-Star guard and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade said of Dr. King, “Just a role model to everyone. To have somebody to look up to say he did it for us.”

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love said what hits home for him about Dr. King is that he was someone who spoke about the content of one’s character, which he experiences with the team he helped to win their first title back in June 2016 and feels that way about the NBA.

“We have a group. A team. A family full of guys that have really strong character and serve their community well and I think as athletes we can get a positive message across,” Love said.

Indiana Pacers All-Star swingman Paul George said called Dr. King a “peaceful protestor” and that in today’s world it has become hard to find that value with all the issues we face in our world today, but it is up to us to continue the fight for justice and civil rights that he started for us so long ago.

Trail Blazers starting All-Star lead guard Damian Lillard said that Dr. King is someone we all should be thankful for because he stood for something bigger than himself. That we all deserve to be treated with respect. Listen to when we express our distrust in something and that we not stand to the side and just let things be.

“His message is probably even probably more important now, because we feel like we’ve come a long way, but we still have so much to go and its leaders like him that is one of the reasons why I’m able to stand up for what I believe in and be a voice for others,” Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler said.

Perhaps the greatest perspective and lesson came from New York Knicks color analyst and two-time champion with the team from the “Big Apple” in the 1970s Walt “Clyde” Frazier when during the Monday afternoon broadcast of the Hawks versus Knicks on Madison Square Garden Network, he mentioned something that his grandfather said to him growing up in Atlanta, GA under the oppression of segregation to, “never look down on a man unless you’re helping him to get up.”

Frazier also went to say that his grandfather in a comedic way said to him, “Don’t kick a man when he’s down. He might get up.”  

While this day is centered around Dr. King and his fight for all Americans to do the simplest thing like sit anywhere on a bus, plane or in a restaurant, but this day is also a day where we need to pay respect to those that took on this fight against those who burned crosses and those who sat by and watched. People like Medgar Evers, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, Rosa Parks Eleanor Holmes Norton, Fannie Lou Hamer and Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), who has been in the crosshairs of President-Elect Donald Trump for him calling him an illegitimate president over the weekend.

While things are better today, there is still much more to do in our country for us to reach the point where Dr. King’s dream is a reality.

“I’ll be honest. There are some mornings I wake up and I don’t even want to pick up a newspaper,” the host of NBA: The Jump on ESPN Rachel Nichols said on Monday. “It seems like there are so many attacks on the rights and freedoms of so many Americans right now. But that’s why we have days like today. To remember those who stared down worse and answered with their best selves. That’s why this is the day the whole basketball world stops and rips Martin Luther King out of that flat dusty history book. So, we can put him front and center so he can inspire us all.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of the 1/14/17 4 p.m. edition of “NBA Inside Stuff,” on NBATV with Kristen Ledlow and Grant Hill; 1/15/17 9 p.m. contest between Chicago Bulls versus the Memphis Grizzlies on ESPN with Mark Jones and Doug Collins; 1/16/17 1 p.m. contest between the Portland Trail Blazers versus Washington Wizards on Comcast SportsNet Northwest with Kevin Calabro, Lamar Hurd and Brooke Olzendam; 1/16/17 1 p.m. contest between Atlanta Hawks versus New York Knicks on Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) with Mike Breen, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Al Trautwig and Rebecca Haarlow; 1/16/17 4 p.m. edition of NBA: The Jump on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Marc Stein and Stephen Jackson; www.nba.com/grizzlies/video/mlk-celebration-lisa-leslie-170115; www.nba.com/games/2017115/CHIMEM#/video; www.espn.com/nba/game?gameid=40090032; and  www.nba.com/grizzlies/video/gcm-arena-mlk-chig-halftime-170116.