The NBA will use its platform and the game of basketball to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. once again this year with a slate of four games on Jan. 15.
MLK Day NBA Facts
- The league has played on MLK Day every year since 1986 with the exception of the 1998-99 season.
- The New York Knicks have played on MLK Day every season, but they won't 2024.
- The Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies have become regulars on MLK Day as cities with significance to Martin Luther King Jr. He was born in Atlanta and his assassination took place in Memphis in 1968.
- The Golden State Warriors have the highest winning percentage of MLK Day games (69 percent). The Portland Trail Blazers are third with a record of 11-6 in 17 games.
- Former Blazer Damian Lillard holds the record for most points scored in an MLK Day game. He scored a then-career-high 60 in an overtime win over the Warriors in 2020.
NBA MLK Day national TV schedule 2024
The NBA will play four games on MLK Day 2024, including a doubleheader on TNT and two more on NBA TV.
TNT will present a doubleheader and NBA TV will also televise two games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15. pic.twitter.com/ntfid47NLp
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 17, 2023
The Hawks and Grizzlies will host the two TNT games at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. PT, respectively.
The day begins with a 10 a.m. PT matchup between the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers and is capped off by a 7:30 p.m. PT game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers.