As he reflects on where he is at this stage of his life, it didn’t take Nico Harrison very long to describe what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. means to him.
“It means everything,” he said.” If I go back to college, I had a big poster of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on my wall.
“And that kind of just embodied the essence of being a black man. He was somebody I always looked up to.”
Harrison knows Dr. King was somebody who had a strong relationship with the NBA, a league that wholeheartedly supported the civil rights icon and staged its initial Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20, 1986. On Monday, the NBA observed this historic holiday by having 24 of its 30 teams play on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“I think it’s great that the NBA has put so many teams on (its schedule) on MLK Day,” said Harrison, who is the president of basketball operations and general manager for the Mavericks. “It almost feels like that’s the NBA’s day to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, so it feels good to be playing on that day, for sure.”
The Mavs will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on MLK Day at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center. They consider it an honor they were chosen by the NBA to play on a day that is wrapped with so much history and so many memories.
“It’s a special day for everyone,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “When you look at participating on Christmas, it’s a big deal.
“But what Martin Luther King stands for is way bigger than basketball. It is a great day to reflect on what he did for our country.”
One of the chief civil rights leaders, Dr. King used his platform to encourage NBA players to become activists and to do it in a non-violent way. He wanted to lift every voice and find ways to better society – for everybody, regardless of their race, creed or color.
In fact, when Dr. King delivered his famous I Have A Dream speech on the National Mall in Washington, D. C., on Aug. 28, 1963, Boston Celtics Hall of Fame center Bill Russell sat on the front row after receiving a personal invitation from Dr. King. And when the MLK Federal Holiday Commission was established in 1986, one of its founding members was none other than the-late David Stern, who was then commissioner of the NBA.
Stern made sure Atlanta – where Dr. King was born – would host a game on MLK Day. And he made sure Memphis – where Dr. King tragically was assassinated and where the Civil Rights Museum resides – would also host a game on MLK Day.
In other words, for many years the NBA has thoroughly enjoyed a strong relationship with Dr. King and everything that he embodied as four of Monday’s 12 games will be shown on national television.
On being able to play on MLK Day, Mavs guard Jalen Brunson said: “As a person to do the things that he did and for us to be out here playing basketball — considering what he gave his life up for and what he did every day — it’s an honor.
“I’m thankful. He obviously means a lot to today’s culture, so I’m just very thankful I have the opportunity.”
Mavs forward Reggie Bullock echoed that sentiment, saying: “Growing up and learning about Martin Luther King at school and the things that he did for this country and the things he did for black people, the things that he just did for everyone, it means a lot to
me, my family, my teammates to be able to go out there and just try to stand up in his name and just play the right way and ty to give back to the fans that are at the games and celebrating this wonderful day with us.”
A Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. King would have turned 93 years old last Saturday. But the man who spent the lion’s share of his life trying to achieve racial equality was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at the tender age of 39.
As to what Dr. King means to him, Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said: “It’s just been understanding what we’re capable of. Understanding who we are and the way we treat individuals, treat people, and just hope and love for everyone.
“And that’s the one thing we want to continue to talk about, preach – the level of communication —and just the ability of care. That’s the biggest thing – caring and loving each person and just looking at them and viewing them as people.”
The African-American players, coaches and executives know if not for the many sacrifices made by Dr. King during the Civil Rights 
Movement, they may not be in the position they are today. And that’s a history lesson they’ll never forget.
“I had a chance to go to the museum in Memphis a few years ago,” Mavs forward Marquese Chriss said. “I think it’s enlightening to learn about your history and things like that, because I feel like the school system doesn’t really give it the credit it deserves.
“We learn about it for 28 days (during Black History Month in February) and that’s kind of the recognition that they give to our black history. So, I think the NBA doing that is amazing. Obviously, everything (Dr. King) means to our culture and to the United States as a whole is amazing.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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