MILWAUKEE – Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes paused for a moment, thought about what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has meant to him and the world, and then spoke out loud on what it means for him to play on such a memorable day.
“It’s very special to play on MLK Day,” Barnes told Mavs.com in an exclusive interview. “I think it’s important that not only is he remembered, but his message is remembered.”
Barnes and the Mavs (20-25) will be remembering Dr. King’s message when they face the Milwaukee Bucks (33-12) on Monday at 1 p.m. on MLK Day at the brand new Fiserv Forum.
As he was taking a walk down memory lane in his mind, center Dwight Powell acknowledged that Dr. King means everything to him and what he’s been able to accomplish in life.
“Without him and without the movement of that time and the weight that was left, there’s no way that we could be doing what we’re doing today in (the NBA),” Powell said. “That’s a man that changed the world.
“And the message that he left and the teachings that he left us with that thankfully we’ve carried forward and continue to fight for those rights and continue to grow as a collective global people, we’ll all be eternally grateful for the sacrifices he made and the sacrifices made throughout the struggle.”
Playing on MLK Day takes on added significance for guard Devin Harris, because the Mavs will be playing on that day in the city where he was born. Harris knows of the marches from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., that King organized, and he’s totally aware of his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech.
“He’s obviously a person who fought for equality,” Harris said. “He got us into a position where we are today, and to be able to play and celebrate that is a great honor.
“I’m thankful for guys like him who really put their life at risk for us to have a better country, especially for me being at home (on MLK Day) as well. I’m just thankful and I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I can’t say enough about what he spoke about and how he lived his life.”
Guard Wesley Matthews, who graduated from high school in Madison, WI, and played his college basketball in Milwaukee at Marquette University, also noted that it’s special to be playing on MLK Day in the city where he grew to become a man.
“To be home for it and to see my family and friends and all that, it’ll be great,” Matthews said. “But MLK Day is more than just where one person is from. It’s about the whole community, it’s about the whole country, the whole ideology, the whole mentality of it. It’s more than just the fact that I’m from Wisconsin and I’m going to be in Wisconsin on MLK Day.
“MLK Day represents the ideology of everybody’s career is equal, everybody has a purpose, everybody can do everything just like anybody else, no one’s above anybody else. For it to be while we’re in Milwaukee, it’s cool.”
Although the Mavs-Bucks’ game isn’t one of the five that will be televised nationally on NBA-TV and TNT, center DeAndre Andre is still thankful that Dallas will be one of the 22 NBA teams playing on MLK Day. Then he tipped his hat to Dr. King, the undisputed leader of the Civil Rights Movement who was assassinated on Apr. 4, 1968.
“He was definitely a big part of the society that we live in today and how he had a big influence on people’s views,” Jordan said. “He was definitely ahead of his time.
“He saw something that was bigger than himself and something that we’re definitely still practicing today.”
Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Price on Oct. 14, 1964 for combating racial inequality through non-violent resistance. Mavs rookie guard Jalen Brunson view him as a visionary who wanted what’s best for everybody, regardless of their race, creed or color.
“He’s a pioneer and someone who set the standards of just fighting for what he believed in,” Brunson said. “Just from a leadership standpoint I think a lot of people — not just in sports, but in life — can just take a lot and kind of lead different people and it can go a long way, and you can translate that to pretty much any aspect of life.
“So it means a lot (to play on MLK Day). It’s just something that’s special and something that very few people get to do, and I’m just really thankful.”
Barnes, who has frequently spoke about causes pertaining to social justice, is also thankful the Mavs are one of the teams the NBA selected to play on MLK Day. To him, that’s an opportunity to give a nod to the legacy Dr. King built before he was assassinated in Memphis at the tender age of 39.
“He was constantly fighting for equality, he was constantly fighting for serving others and literally getting himself into causes that were bigger than himself and it ended up costing him his life,” Barnes said. “But a lot of us are in this position today to continue that conversation and continue that fight and continue that spirit.”
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