The NBA is celebrating its 39th edition of MLK Day, a tradition in honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy. 8 games, multiple honorees, a symposium, and a halftime show– the league went big in trying to serve reminders of causes King fought for. But it wasn’t limited to the events. NBA players, former or current, have been huge preachers of the activist, taking up more than one way to pay tribute.

This year, Carmelo Anthony shared one of the iconic quotes on his Instagram story with Dr. King’s photo. “You Can Kill the Dreamer, But You Cannot Kill the Dream – Dr. King,” it read. Melo had previously worked with Nike to launch the EQUALITY products to honor MLK and be a voice against social injustice.

But he was not alone in celebrating one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement. Dwyane Wade, who has been an advocate for racial and gender equality, also added a post. The Miami Heat legend shared his previous campaign about the same.

In the video, Wade states, “Imagine changing the world by appealing to the hearts and minds of your neighbors. Imagine all that power. Now, imagine all that power … in you.” This was released in 2022, and the former shooting guard shared it today with the caption, “MLK Day 🫡.”

Magic Johnson had hopped on too, being one of the biggest admirers of King. “On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are reminded of the powerful legacy Dr. King left behind, not just through his words but through his relentless pursuit of justice and equality for all…” he penned.

Johnson has admitted to have been benefitted from the teachings MLK had to lend. His message of coming together and treating everyone as equals, the Lakers icon carried with him.  Johnson built on his success only to give back and uplift the underserved community. He admittedly opened 125 Starbucks franchises, creating job opportunities for Latinos and African Americans. “The only thing that minorities wanted was an opportunity. He wanted everybody to treat them as individuals and not hate them for their race. And I benefited from that message,” he had said, speaking at ASU last year.

The 5x champion then promised 3 ASU students that he would take care of their education, offering $25,000 scholarship for each. While this has been the former NBA stars’ way of remembering and paying tribute, the NBA took on a bigger role.

Memphis goes big on honoring King

NBA has kept up the MLK day tradition for nearly four decades now and the Memphis Grizzlies have taken the reins as the hosts for 23 consecutive times. It has come to be bigger than basketball event for the city where King took his final breath. The 39th edition was a reminder of his legacy every step, with players narrating his impact during timeout breaks. “It’s an honor and a privilege,” head coach Taylor Jenkins had to say in getting to host.

The pre-game symposium saw a discussion with this year’s Sports Legacy Award honorees– Cheryl Miller, Tommie Smith, and A’Mare Stoudamire while local NGOs helped fans with ways to get involved in the city. Lucky Daye would then take over at the halftime for his performance before the Grizzlies rallied from 54-43 to go 2-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It was their 5th straight win on the MLK day, but the celebrations certainly took over. For a sold-out crowd of 18,119, Tommie Smith had just the concluding remarks. “We must be able to maintain our togetherness and be a contour over love.”