The NBA’s annual commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day took center stage on Monday, with generational connections brought to the fore and players coming together to share personal memories and meaningful moments across the league.
The Hawks hosted Civil Rights icon Andrew Young, a former Atlanta Mayor and King confidant who also served in numerous other key leadership positions as a politician and activist.
Honored to have Owner Tony Ressler, Commissioner Adam Silver and Ambassador Andrew Young here to celebrate the legacy of MLK! #TrueToAtlanta x #MLK2019 pic.twitter.com/NGbUyATPUp
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 21, 2019
They also put a fun spin on their player introductions.
Out in Memphis, where King was assassinated in 1968 and the team has established a strong connection to the National Civil Rights Museum, guard Mike Conley Jr. recently joined NBA legend Isiah Thomas in meeting with several students from Grizzlies Prep:
The team also discussed the impact MLK Jr. had on their lives.
You’re reading this the day after the holiday, but spend some time with the full text of “I Have a Dream.” Wrestle with that defaulted promissory note, how far we’ve come toward delivering and how far we’ve got to go. Credit to Bomani Jones for sparking what’s become an annual personal tradition. May we all recognize that The Dream is rooted in a reality that isn’t as comforting as many of its isolated quotables.
—Ben Couch
All the 3s … Again
Klay Thompson tied an NBA record by nailing his first 10 3-pointers. He further cemented his legacy as one of the league’s deadliest shooters ever with his fifth game of double-digit triples. Though teammate Stephen Curry tops that leaderboard with 12 such games, no one else in NBA history has more than three.
Want to rack your brain? Who held the record Thompson tied? We’ll catch you up post-Googling.
In the interim, take a moment for schadenfreude, and watch Curry, ah … not quite achieve that which he set out to accomplish. Twice.
Yikes. Warriors beat the Lakers by 29, btw. It wasn’t that close.
(The trivia answer: Ty Lawson.)
Harden Goes 20-for-30
Yes, James Harden hit 30 points again. 37, to be exact, which puts his seemingly never-ending streak at 20 games overall. James and Wilt. Wilt and James. Get used to hearing those in tandem.
Unfortunately, only newcomer Kenneth Faried and mercurial forward Gerald Green joined Harden in double digits as the Rockets were blown out by the Sixers, 121-93.
Harden played just 30 minutes (he averages 37.3), and coach Mike D’Antoni thought another 50-pointer could’ve been in the cards. Alas. #OnToTheNextOne.
Teen Angel, Triple Threat
It’s been a season for young Luka Doncic, who’s averaging 20 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Those numbers were boosted Monday after the rookie swingman finally pushed over the 3×10 plateau, putting up 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the Mavericks’ 116-106 loss to Milwaukee.
That triple-double made Doncic the second-youngest player in NBA history to achieve the feat, following only Markelle Fultz, who did it while 10 days younger.
Giannis, Kostas share moment on court
Giannis Antetokounmpo suited up against his younger brother, Kostas, for the first time in the NBA. Kostas is with Dallas on a two-way contract and joined the Mavericks on this road trip after spending most of the season in the G League. Kostas was on the bench but did not play.
“I wish I’d played against him,” Giannis said. “But those few moments that we spent before the game and during the game and after the game, they were amazing.”
The Antetokounmpo brothers left the arena together, alongside their mother.
