Every year in the United States, a holiday honors the memory of Martin Luther King. The NBA has appropriated it with a big sports program. And a message that is dear to him.
The light dims, the American anthem sounds. Active Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James looks up at the ceiling of the Crypto.com Arena. “Never stop dreaming“, is it written in white printed letters on his black t-shirt, in reference to the famous speech “I have a dream”. This Monday, January 16, 2023, LeBron James, basketball megastar, will once again be on the court for this very special day for the United States and the NBA.
Every third Monday in January is a holiday in the United States. A tribute to Martin Luther King, born on January 15, 1929 and assassinated on April 4, 1968, after years of fighting against racism and inequality. Years of struggle for peace and kindness. This Monday is also a highly anticipated day for basketball fans. As at Christmas, the NBA takes the opportunity to put up beautiful posters, including several in advanced hours (from 7 p.m. in France). It is no coincidence, we will come back to it. But first, where does this “Martin Luther King day” come from?
Martin Luther King, “an enemy for many” in the United States
Martin Luther King «was almost like an enemy to many in America“, spat with bitterness Oscar Robertson, former illustrious basketball player, for The Undefeated in 2020. As proof, it was only 18 years after his death, in 1986, that “MLK day” was held for the first time in the United States. It took years of struggle, especially from the unions, grateful to King, a multifaceted activist, including for workers’ rights.
It was not until the dawn of the 1980s, with the support of Bob Marley and Michael Jackson, among others, that everything accelerated. In 1981, Stevie Wonder released his iconic hit “Happy Birthday” to promote the idea of this holiday. More than 6 million Americans sign a petition. President Ronald Reagan does not want to hear anything. But the Congress is stronger than him and votes largely for, in 1983. Three years later, the “Martin Luther King day” was born.
Bill Russell, NBA legend and supporter of Martin Luther King
Upon his induction, the NBA seized the opportunity. It offers an enticing menu and highlights the values of the late pastor. “It’s a celebration to fulfill the dream he once had, that all people be treated as equals.“, enlightens us Chris Singleton, Franco-American basketball coach and consultant for beIN SportsNBA broadcaster in France.
The link between King and basketball was not born in 1986. In the 1960s, Bill Russell (11 NBA titles, a record) appeared at his side. He accompanied him during the March on Washington in 1963. The day after King’s assassination, Russell and other Boston Celtics players asked for their game to be postponed. Refuse. They will play constrained and forced. The pill will take time to pass.
The NBA has always been THE forward-thinking league in the United States. It’s even “basketball that has always been ahead“, adds Chris Singleton, former university player. The orange ball has become a refuge for many blacks in the era of segregation. It was the NBA, or at least its players, who broke down barriers far beyond sports.
Example in 1961. The Boston Celtics are invited by the Saint-Louis Hawks for a friendly match. At the restaurant of their hotel, the white players of the Celtics are entitled to a meal. Not their black teammates. They will all leave town without playing the match. “St. Louis newspapers wrote we should be suspended for embarrassing Kentucky white players“, will denounce Bill Russell.
The NBA has always made efforts to try to bring people together, regardless of their community.
Chris Singleton, Franco-American consultant for beIN Sports.
«We wouldn’t see sports, and even humanity come together as we can see without Martin Luther King and his dreamChicago All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan said. The NBA has forged a strong bond with King, under the impetus of its players and then of David Stern, league boss from 1984 to 2014. If “MLK day” was inaugurated in 1986, several states took years to recognize. Thus, the NBA refused to organize its annual All-Star Game in Arizona or Utah, until they complied with the law, like everyone else.
«The NBA has always made efforts to try to bring people together, regardless of their community“, emphasizes Chris Singleton. In 2017, she withdrew the organization from the All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina for its passage of a law deemed to discriminate against transgender people. The NBA does not only fight against racism, but it remains its first fight.
The Bucks boycott, a legacy of Martin Luther King
According to the Statista portal, 72% of NBA players will be African American in 2022. They are 58% black in the NFL and only 7% in MLB (baseball). More than numbers, they are voices. Whose resonance exploded in 2020, with the Black Lives Matter movement.
«NBA players had a realization that their message was being heard globally“says Chris Singleton. On August 26, the Milwaukee Bucks boycott a playoff game after the Jacob Blake affair. “It’s as if the PSG had gone on strike for the Adama Traoré affair“, transposed the Franco-American commentator George Eddy for CNews.
The involvement of athletes at the political level is “a big differencebetween France and the United States, says Chris Singleton. “The footballers went to the Senate to demand better pay. There you can be heard.Even if it means alienating then-president Donald Trump, the NBA has remained true to its values. Those she shares with Martin Luther King, born in Atlanta and died in Memphis, two cities whose NBA teams systematically play on “MLK day”.
But it does not forget another component of its essence: marketing. The “MLK day” has settled as an appointment stamped NBA. This Monday, nine matches will fuel the evening. The media are talking about it, brands are being promoted, and revenues are rising. Because sport, at this level, is a business that must be pampered. This does not prevent, in the case of American basketball, from remaining honest.
The NBA program this Monday, January 16:
Charlotte Hornets – Boston Celtics (19h)
Milwaukee Bucks – Indiana Pacers (20h30)
New York Knicks – Toronto Raptors (21h)
Washington Wizards – Golden State Warriors (21h)
Cleveland Cavaliers – New Orleans Pelicans (21h)
Atlanta Hawks – Miami Heat (21h30)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Utah Jazz (10pm)
Memphis Grizzlies – Phoenix Suns (00h)
Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets (4h30)
