The Hawks will bring back a favorite jersey. Next season the Hawks will return to their uniforms that honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. uniform for their City Edition jerseys.
The team initially released the jerseys ahead of the 2020-21 season, marking the first time in the NBA’s history that the initials of an individual were featured prominently on the chest of an official NBA game uniform.
“Well, it’s important because if you think about the symbolism, right, the birth home of Dr. King, right, the final resting place of Dr. King,” said Eric D. Tidwell, managing director and general counsel of intellectual property for the MLK Jr. estate. “So it’s great to see his hometown honor him. Sometimes we can be held in other places, but not appreciated at home. So, it’s great to see Dr. King appreciated here in his hometown.”
The news comes as the Hawks get set to host the Bucks on Monday afternoon for the team’s annual MLK Day game. The Hawks have played on MLK Day since it became a federal holiday 40 years ago.
The jerseys have gained importance amongt diehard Hawks fans after the team went 9-1 wearing them during the 2020-21 season, they received the blessing of the late Pope Francis and they were worn on the run to the Eastern Conference finals.
“Whenever the Hawks play on MLK Day, obviously they attach it to other community initiatives and other volunteer opportunities,” Tidwell said. “So it’s great to see them kind of fully embody the meaning of the day, which is a day of service. And the Hawks embody that to the fullest.”
Only one player, Onyeka Okongwu, remains on the roster from that season when the Hawks wore those jerseys. But rookie Asa Newell, who was born in Atlanta, remembers watching the Hawks in those jerseys on MLK Day and understands the importance of playing on that day.
“It means a lot, especially growing up and watching MLK games,” Newell said before Monday’s game. “It’s definitely been something I’ve been looking forward to. And, the rich history of MLK and being able to play on MLK Day just, you know, just a testament to all the work that the Hawks organization has put in, and we just want to go and compete on the court today.”
A couple of the Hawks’ new faces have experienced the MLK Day games while playing for other franchises. Hawks wing Luke Kennard played on the day when he played with the Grizzlies. Of course, Memphis has a strong tie to King’s legacy.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Kennard said. “I think the NBA does such a good job of honoring him, and obviously what he’s done, and especially in cities where he has been involved and had impacts on different people’s lives. And so for me, it’s just an honor to wear his name, especially like on our warm-ups and show that we’re in full support.”
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