When the Hawks began playing on Martin Luther King Day, it looked different than what some fans may be used to.
Almost 40 years ago when the NBA began hosting MLK Day games when it became a federal holiday, most teams saw it as just another game.
For the Hawks, the first game they hosted on the new federal holiday fell on Jan. 20, 1986, just a couple of days after a 125-122 overtime loss to the Celtics. So, the Hawks looked to shake off that rust and return to their winning ways with a victory over the Bucks.
From the story filed that day by the late, great Hawks beat reporter Jeff Denberg, there was no indication that the day held any special meaning.
Though the game did not have the in-game activations of current contests, it was a day of reflection for Hawks legend and analyst Dominique Wilkins. The former Hawks forward, who “was customarily sensational Monday - 33 points after a two-point first quarter,” said he vividly remembered King’s assassination.
Wilkins was just eight on that fateful day but also remembers how welcoming the King family was when he first arrived in the city of Atlanta.
“I’m 64 as of today,” Wilkins told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last Friday. “So I go back into Civil Rights in the 60s and I knew his kids. I used to hang out with his kids when I first came to Atlanta -- Dexter, and Marty, and the sisters -- all of them. And they’re just wonderful people that embraced me when I came to Atlanta. And so they welcomed me along with Andrew Young and all these people and Maynard Jackson, welcomed me to Atlanta. So knowing about the history of Martin Luther King, and now I can come in here and live it, with people who knew him, his kids, man, that was one of the most incredible times of my life when I came to Atlanta and had to interact with people like that.”
Earlier that day, just two miles up the road, icons from the Civil Rights Movement, as well as other non-violent campaigns from across the globe, filled Ebeneezer Baptist Church for the 18th annual service paying tribute to the birthday of King.
But for the Hawks, who played that Monday night, muscling out a 101-98 victory over the Bucks in front of 9,467 fans was the focus.
Things have changed, though, and in the 38 years since the Hawks hosted that first MLK Day game, the Hawks have played on the day almost every year. Since 2000, they have hosted a game on MLK Day almost every year when the league scheduled a matchup between the Hawks and Knicks in New York.
“I think they realized at that point that that was a scheduling mistake that the league made and that we should always have a game here,” Steve Holman, Voice of the Hawks on 92.9, said.
But with King’s ties to the city of Atlanta, the NBA recognized the importance of the hometown team hosting the game.
So, the Hawks have looked to honor the Civil Rights icon with their best.
Since that first game in 1986, the Hawks have found a multitude of ways to celebrate and honor King’s life and legacy.
“It’s just, over the years, it’s become, I think one of the most special days of the year, really,” Holman said. “And the fact that we have made it that, I think Atlanta has been one of the leaders with the NBA, too. I think the NBA has followed our lead, especially over the last I don’t know, 10, 15 years, that they realize how special it is here.”
Over the years, the Hawks have used their City edition jerseys to honor King. They’ve invited local Atlanta artists, like rapper Killer Mike, to perform at halftime. In the past, they’ve tapped the Dream Center Church of Atlanta Choir to sing a harmonized rendition of the team’s starting lineup. The team began the choir introductions tradition in 2015 and it is reserved only for MLK Day.
This year, the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society will sing the national anthem and player introductions.
Before the starting lineup is announced, Hawks players and staff will join teams throughout the league in wearing special MLK shooting shirts that feature the quote from Dr. King, “The time is always right to do what is right,” during warm-ups. The Hawks will wear their Fly City Edition uniforms.
But the way honor King isn’t strictly reserved to the day of the game and in-game celebrations. Each year they expand their reach into the community with initiatives geared toward improving the lives of Atlanta residents.
This year, the team will host a panel ahead of the game titled, “A Transparent Conversation About Homeownership in Atlanta,” which will focus on how to increase homeownership rates among Black Americans in the Atlanta area. It includes Terri M. Lee (Chief Operating Officer, Atlanta Housing), Corey Mason (Head of Chase Home Lending for Atlanta) and Latresa McLawhorn Ryan (Chief Executive Officer, Blackbird Strategy Group). Rohit Malhotra (Founder and Executive Director, Center for Civic Innovation) will moderate.
For Wilkins, the way the Hawks celebrate and honor King should keep growing every year.
Though the first game played on MLK Day looked a little different, the Hawks made the moves to ensure they honored King’s legacy.
“It’s everything because what it does is, it shows people, especially his family, he’s not forgotten,” Wilkins said. “He’s not forgotten. He never can be forgotten. And every time you hear that famous speech it still to this day, brings chills and really emotional feelings in my heart because I know what it meant.”
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