Today, the Atlanta Hawks will play the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first of four Unity Nights in the annual MLK Day Game. Each Unity Night will be centered around basketball and community while aiming to unite the city of Atlanta in committing to make a positive change in their communities.
“We find it so important for our organization to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through each of our Unity Nights this season,” said Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Proctor. “This past year has been different for all of us, and we hope our work continues to inspire all of our fans to making a positive change.”
According to a press release, the Hawks will wear their 2020-21 MLK Nike City Edition uniforms and play on the team’s coordinating homecourt. In addition, the team will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in-arena and on various digital platforms.
The full slate of Unity Games for the first half of the 2020-21 NBA Season:
- Monday, Jan. 18 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves during MLK Day Game Presented by Chase
- Tuesday, Jan. 26 vs. Los Angeles Clippers Presented by Emory Healthcare
- Saturday, Feb. 6 vs. Toronto Raptors
- Wednesday, Feb. 24 vs. Boston Celtics during HBCU Night Presented by Chase
Notably, the MLK jersey was delivered to Pope Francis on Friday, which would have been Martin Luther King Jr’s 92nd birthday. The jersey has “MLK” across the front — instead of “Hawks” or the city name — and Francis’ name across the back. The Vatican delivery followed Francis’ meeting in November with a delegation of NBA players to discuss social justice and economic inequality.
𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬. 🙌
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 15, 2021
On Dr. King's birthday, @Pontifex blessed our 20-21 MLK Nike City Edition jersey to honor our shared commitment to making positive change in social equality, economic empowerment and love.
🔗: https://t.co/ob7sSp0J9H#EarnTheseLetters pic.twitter.com/Hy8xts7t9y
Tickets for Hawks home dates from Jan. 26 through Feb. 24 will go on-sale at a later date at Hawks.com and Ticketmaster.com. The Hawks and State Farm Arena will open at 10-percent capacity (approximately 1700 tickets) before gradually increasing throughout the season pending adequate conditions.
Next month, the Hawks will host their annual Lunar New Year game set for Friday, Feb. 12 as the team takes on the San Antonio Spurs.
