“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King Jr.
For so many of the athletes in the newest generation, this is a question they are answering with actions on a regular basis. Malik Beasley helps the homeless. In Baltimore, Will Barton organizes community get-togethers to spread messages of peace, togetherness and working together for the betterment of the city. In South Carolina, Torrey Craig has his focus on helping future generations.
“I’d like to start a back-to-school giveaway for all of the kids going back to school,” Craig said. “Every time I go home I go to the parks and give away gear or shoes to the kids who play sports or are involved in activities. It’s just a great thing to do, a great thing to be a part of.”
This is how Martin Luther King’s legacy lives on now – through players becoming more and more connected to their communities and taking active roles in helping those communities grow and thrive.
Nuggets players are at the forefront of this. Youthful, they are now two generations removed from the Civil Rights Movement that King championed and ultimately gave his life for. They are well-versed on King and his legacy, no doubt. But they are taking his message and forging new roads into what it means to celebrate his message and apply it to the world that surrounds them today.
“Using our platform to show the world that it’s about coming together,” Beasley said. “It’s about radiating love and staying positive and peace.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is as important a day to the NBA as there is during the season. Games are put in the spotlight and played during the middle of the day. Teams wear custom-designed MLK Day warmup shirts made by Nike. Those shirts are also for sale to the public with the NBA’s proceeds donated to the National Civil Rights Museum. The NBA highlights the good works its players and coaches do in the community.
“I think it’s upon us to continue teach, not only ourselves but the future generations, of the importance of not only the day but the message and the movement behind it,” Nuggets assistant coach Wes Unseld said.
Unseld is only a generation removed from the Civil Rights movement. He’s heard all of the stories of the struggle from his parents, which include NBA legend Wes Unseld Sr. As time passes, he acknowledges that there is more urgency to make sure younger generations understand the opportunities and lifestyle they are living today has roots in the battles for equal rights more than 50 years ago.
“Just growing up hearing some of the stories that my parents conveyed, they lived that,” Unseld said. “The reality for them is different than it was for me.”
But these athletes have a clear-eyed view of the good and change they can spark by using their celebrity to spread positive messages.
“You’ve just got to have that voice and be a platform,” Nuggets guard Monte Morris said, “because people look up to us all over the world.”
Unseld agreed.
"They have to continue to carry the torch, continue to push forward,” he said. “Make sure that it’s not just a racial issue, but a gender issue, equality across the board."
Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter