THE Atlanta Hawks are just two wins away from their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2015.
In their Game 4 semifinal win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Hawks played in their Martin Luther King Jr.-inspired home court and jersey.
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Why do the Atlanta Hawks have MLK on their jerseys?
Atlanta being Dr. King’s hometown, the Hawks have the privilege of hosting an NBA game every year to celebrate MLK Day.
In their Jan. 17 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Hawks wore the first NBA jerseys inspired by the civil rights icon.
The letters “MLK” were pasted on the chest of the jersey, while the Hawks’ homecourt was also inspired by Dr. King.
“For us, being the team that carries [those] three letters on a chest, that was going to mean a lot to us,” Hawks All-Star Young told The Undefeated of the team’s new City Edition jerseys.
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“Dr. King is the name you think of when you think of the city of Atlanta,” Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce said.
“And when you talk about City Edition, there’s nothing better we can do to represent the city of Atlanta than roll out jerseys that represent Dr. King and the legacy of Dr. King.”
What color are the jerseys?
The team’s MLK jerseys feature black, gold and white colors, which is a nod to King’s membership in the first black Greek letter fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha.
Several of the uniform’s details were inspired by architectural elements of churches, and King’s signature can be found on an authenticity tag at the bottom of the shirt.
The stars on the sides of the shorts represent 22 times King was imprisoned fighting for justice and equality.
The belt displays the logo of the main icon of the Hawks surrounded by black to symbolize “the continued quest of the black community to achieve freedom and justice”.
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“When you really understand some of the details, which I’m still learning, I think people are going to be really excited to wear that jersey and come to an Atlanta Hawks game,” Pierce said.
The Hawks played on the field in the MLK City Edition, which lasted nearly a year.
MLK’s initials were affixed along the sideline of the field, as were the 22 “Freedom Stars”.
On center court, the Hawks logo will be featured in a mosaic pattern reminiscent of a stained glass pattern in a church.
“The concept was a bit of a no-brainer looking at what our fans reacted to,” the team’s vice president of brand creation, Shirley Zhang, said on the release of the overall collaboration.
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“Why not celebrate one of our favorite Atlanta sons, who is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?”
What happened to Trae Young in Game 2 of the Knicks and Hawks?
A New York Knicks fan spat at Hawks Young point guard in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round series between the two teams on May 26.
The fan has been banned from future Knicks games indefinitely.
It was one of many incidents the NBA witnessed between fans and players in the past week.
In Game 2 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards first-round playoffs, a Sixers fan threw popcorn at Wizards goaltender Russell Westbrook as he walked to the locker room with an ankle injury.
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Westbrook had to be restrained by security and Wizards staff during this incident, as the fan was banned from the Wells Fargo Center indefinitely.
In Utah, three fans were banned indefinitely by the Utah Jazz after making vulgar and racist comments to the parents of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant on May 26.
The incident happened during Game 2 of the Western Conference first round game between the Jazz and the Grizzlies.
On May 30, a Boston Celtics fan was arrested after throwing a water bottle at Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving as he walked off the field.
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This Celtics fan has also been banned indefinitely from TD Garden, home of the Celtics.
Have the Hawks tied their streak against the Sixers?
The Hawks tied their Eastern Conference semifinal game against the Sixers, 2-2.
After losing Games 2 and 3, including a home game, the Hawks bounced back in a nail-biter that went all the way to final possession.
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Atlanta was fueled by an 18-point comeback, as Seth Curry missed the final shot for Philadelphia that would have sent the game into overtime.
Young finished with 25 points and 18 assists – while Bogdan Bogdanović added 22 points.
Game 5 returns to Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 16, as either team looks to take a 3-2 series lead.
