NBA’s MLK Day history and 2024 schedule

The NBA world will celebrate a civil rights icon on Monday.

The league has 11 games scheduled for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, beginning with early afternoon contests and featuring several games on national TV.

Here’s a look back at the NBA’s history with MLK Day and the schedule for 2024.

How long has the NBA played games on MLK Day?

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The league has held games on MLK day every year since the holiday was first observed in 1986. The one exception is the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, which began on Feb. 5 after MLK Day had passed.

There have been 367 NBA regular season games played on MLK Day with 11 more planned for 2024.

Significance of Atlanta and Memphis for NBA on MLK Day

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The Hawks and Grizzlies will host MLK Day games in cities with close ties to King.

King was born in Atlanta on Jan. 15, 1929, and attended Booker T. Washington High School. The Hawks have hosted a game in Georgia’s capital on MLK Day almost every year dating back three decades.

Memphis also continues to carry King’s legacy. He was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968, and the site is now home to the National Civil Rights Museum, which is less than a mile from the Grizzlies’ home arena, FedEx Forum. The Grizzlies have played a home game on MLK Day every year since 2003, just one season after they moved from Vancouver to Memphis.

Both the Hawks’ game against the San Antonio Spurs and the Grizzlies’ game against the Golden State Warriors will air nationally on TNT.