Hawks to host LeBron James and 76ers on MLK Day

The team will wear the MLK-themed Nike City Edition jerseys that debuted in 2021.

Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu wears “Honor King,” shirts before the Atlanta Hawks game against the San Antonio Spurs in the Hawks’ annual MLK Day game at State Farm Arena, Monday, January 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

By Lauren Williams

54 minutes ago

The Hawks have learned their opponent for their game set for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

On Jan. 18, the Hawks will host LeBron James and the 76ers at State Farm Arena.

The Hawks’ matchup is the second of the holiday’s four-game slate, with the Pistons and the Cavaliers kicking things off. The Timberwolves at the Knicks and the Rockets at the Grizzlies round out the day.

The game will be the Hawks’ 31st MLK Day game played at home in Atlanta. The Hawks have a 22-13 record in games played on MLK Day, including a 20-10 home record.

Last season, the Hawks lost to the Bucks, 112-110.

They will wear their Nike City Edition jerseys for the matchup. In January, the Hawks announced that they would return to the uniforms that honor King for their City Edition jerseys.

The team first released the jerseys ahead of the 2020-21 season. It was the first time in the NBA’s history that “the initials of an individual (were) featured prominently on the chest of an official NBA game uniform,” per NBA.com.

Wednesday’s news was the second announcement of the Hawks’ schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 NBA schedule. Earlier Wednesday, the NBA announced the games for group play of the NBA Cup.

The complete 2026-27 schedule will be revealed on Thursday afternoon.

The Hawks released their preseason schedule in June, including matchups against the Grizzlies (Oct. 5), at the Spurs (Oct. 8), at the Pacers (Oct. 11), against the Thunder (Oct. 12) and at the Mavericks (Oct. 16).