Rumors

What stands out most in Gordon’s already one-of-a-kind warehouse gym home are the celebrity icons from different genres. Many are no longer with us. Gordon chose each specifically for daily motivation. A young Obama smoking marijuana. Einstein. Athletes including Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Tony Hawk, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Pele, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Jackie Robinson. Dancer Josephine Baker. Actor and martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Musicians Billie Holliday, Prince, Lauryn Hill, Miles Davis, Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix, B.B. King, Notorious B.I.G., Nipsey Hussle, Michael Jackson and Mac Miller. Olympic activists John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Comedian Richard Pryor. Actor Heath Ledger. Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Civil rights activist and Muslim minister Malcolm X. Filmmaker Spike Lee. Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Antiapartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Legendary sports journalist Stuart Scott. Poet Maya Angelou. “I got everybody there from Muhammad Ali to Bruce Lee,” Aaron Gordon said. “You have greatness looking at you. You can’t be [joking around]. It makes you want to not bulls—.”

Andscape

Trump announced on Thursday the National Garden of American Heroes will include statues of African American icons. This was where he mentioned Bryant as one of the national figures. “Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali. Not a bad athlete, what do you think, Muhammad, not too bad, and the late Kobe Bryant. People love Kobe Bryant. We're going to save Tiger Woods for another time,” Trump said.

Clutch Points

“The time is always right to do what is right.” Dr. Clarence B. Jones, a speechwriter and lawyer for the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became emotional as he reflected on seeing that quote from his friend on the back of T-shirts worn by Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics players. Seeing images of King on the Chase Center scoreboards at Monday’s game touched Jones as well. In what would have been another painful loss if it weren’t for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was honored to spend time with Jones afterwards, too.

Andscape

“[It’s a] Very challenging and somewhat difficult emotional experience for me to be here because as I look out, look at the signage quoting one of Martin’s more famous sayings and so forth, I also reflect on the fact that he’s not here,” said Jones prior to the Warriors’ loss to the Celtics. “Had he lived, he would’ve been 96 years old on his birthday, the 15th of January. I have been blessed with longevity. I don’t quite understand why, but I’m 94. I was two years younger. “So, as I sat in the arena and I looked at the signage and I looked at the T-shirts… This is capturing and reflecting on one or more of his more profound statements he made over his lifetime. It’s not too difficult to do the right thing.”

Andscape

For the Warriors and the Celtics, it was an honor to play on the King holiday. “I always love playing on MLK Day,” Warriors head coach and former NBA guard Steve Kerr said. “It’s a very significant day for all Americans and I think the NBA has really adopted it as part of our culture and I’m very proud of that.” Said Celtics forward Jaylen Brown: “There are so many people that have come before us that sacrificed so much to push society forward, push equality forward. To be able to use my platform to play basketball and do what I got to do, it is the least I can do — just being able to praise those people who came before, who sacrificed so much of their lives, livelihood and family. “As long as I’m here, I’m going to continue to honor them for that because we still have a long way to go. But we’re thankful and grateful for the sacrifices they’ve made.”

Andscape

Ohm Youngmisuk: Steve Kerr was asked about the coincidence of the inauguration coming on MLK Day. Kerr said he hasn’t watched any of the inauguration, spending time watching Celtics film instead. He talked about how special it is to play on MLK Day and all that it represents.

Twitter

Danielle Lerner: On MLK Day, Rockets forward Jeff Green made a pregame speech abut honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and thanked the Toyota Center crowd for attending.

Twitter

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is excited about celebrating King’s legacy during Sunday’s game against the visiting Denver Nuggets. “MLK Day has been a part of my life forever,” Banchero told Andscape. “One thing I always associate with MLK Day for me is basketball. I’ve always had MLK tournaments. Elementary school through AAU to high school, we’ve had MLK tournaments. So, whenever we’re celebrating Martin Luther King, I always feel like there should be some good basketball being played. And obviously, we know what Martin Luther King did for not only our country, but for the world. “Helping us progress in the right direction and help us love one another, no matter the color of our skin. You see that more than ever now in the NBA and all over. You got guys from all different backgrounds, races, religions, all in this one league, playing against each other, competing. Honestly, none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for Martin Luther King. So, it’s always an honor to celebrate this day and hopefully play some basketball.”

Andscape

The Hawks hosted an MLK Day of Service to address food insecurity on Jan. 13. Typically, on MLK Day, the Hawks would host a game to celebrate King’s legacy with a gospel choir announce their starting lineup. Celtics forward Xavier Tillman participated in an MLK-themed shirt design activity with 30 youth from Family Independence and Casa Esperanza – Latinas y Niños on Jan. 7. The Celtics hosted an HBCU Experience Event on Jan. 16 centering on Dr. King’s HBCU experience at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The Celtics also plan to celebrate King’s legacy during Saturday’s game against the Hawks with players wearing the MLK shooting shirts, player addresses and a national anthem performance by civil rights activist and singer Danny Rivera.

Andscape

The Warriors and the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition (NBSJC) will host The Rebound: Second Chances & The Power of Basketball tonight at Chase Center in San Francisco. The event will be highlighted by a conversation about the NBA and Warriors’ commitment to second chances for incarcerated and justice-impacted individuals. Warriors guard Moses Moody; Warriors executive vice-president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob and Warriors chief legal officer David Kelly are slated to be amongst the participants.

Andscape

Dr. Clarence B. Jones, King’s speechwriter, will address the Warriors team during pregame on MLK Day before they play the Celtics. The Oakland Unified School District MLK Oratorical Festival will perform at halftime. The Grizzlies partnered with FedEx to host a community basketball clinic for 100 youth from Memphis community centers during their MLK Day of Service on Jan. 8. On Jan. 14, the Grizzlies Foundation and the Community Engagement Department joined with local youth artists to showcase King’s legacy through are during the “Visualizing the Dream” event. On Sunday, the Grizzlies and National Civil Rights Museum will host Junior Grizzlies Coaches and League Directors in a discussion on how to support the Mid-South youth participating in the Junior Grizzlies League with a panel discussion featuring Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and Hall of Famer Grant Hill. The Grizzlies will host the Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium on Monday at FedEx Forum in Memphis with a conversation with Sports Legacy Award winners Miller, track legend Tommie Smith and former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire. The Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium is free to attend with a Grizzlies gameday ticket.

Andscape

Jaren Jackson Jr.’s education came from his mother, Terri Carmichael Jackson, who supplied him with books about civil rights leaders.  Among other things, he was taught the importance of giving, recently donating $50,000 to the National Civil Rights Museum's Youth Education Fund. “It made me care for other people, have empathy and understand that it’s bigger than me," Jackson said of his upbringing. "I was always going to care for people regardless. But specifically, my people.” 

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Aldama, who grew up in Spain, recalls most of his history lessons in school being about World Wars I and II, but King was mentioned as an important figure in history.  Coming to the United States, Aldama had to adjust to a different culture, and learning the historical significance was valuable.  “It helped me understand the country I joined,” he said. “The first time I visited (the civil rights museum) was huge, but especially the second and third times. I got to see in more detail and more perspective what he was fighting for. He inspired young people to fight for something.”

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Grizzlies players come from all over the United States and the world. They’re educated on King's teachings and on civil rights with an annual visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. “For people who haven’t been there, I for sure recommend it,” Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama said. “It’s very different than any other museum that I’ve been to. I feel like this one is more in detail.”

Memphis Commercial Appeal