For the 39th edition of MLK Day, the Grizzlies will welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves this Monday while and seven other confrontations will take place from 6 p.m. A very special day for Memphis, the city where the civil rights activist for the African-American community was assassinated on the night of April 4, 1968.
The NBA’s idea of paying tribute to Martin Luther King took shape in 1986. Since then, 367 matches have been played in his honor. In 1998-1999, MLK Day did not take place because the season only started on February 5 due to the lockout.
This year, eight confrontations are on the program, starting with a match where the Dallas Mavericks will face the Charlotte Hornets. Here are several performances that have marked this MLK Day throughout time in the NBA:
Most points scored in a match by a player
Damian Lillard, the current player of the Milwaukee Bucksholds the record for the most points scored in an MLK Day game with 61 points. This took place during a confrontation between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors on January 20, 2020. The Blazers won 129 to 124. It was followed by Kemba Walker (52 pts) and of Jayson Tatum (51 pts).
Most points scored in a match by a team
You have to go back to January 16, 1989 to find the team with the highest total points in an MLK Day game. These are the Golden State Warriorsduring a 146-117 victory against the Seattle SuperSonics. They are followed by Indiana Pacers with 144 points in 1990 and Los Angeles Lakersmost recently, with 140 points in 2023.
Also read:
-Most matches played by a team
Unsurprisingly, we find a legendary NBA team, the New York Knickswith 38 appearances in total over 39 editions. Jalen Brunson’s team does not intend to stop there, because they will defend their colors tonight against the Atlanta Hawks at 9 p.m.
Most matches won by a team
After the 9 p.m. match this evening between the Hawks and the Knickswe will know the team with the most victories in the history of MLK Day, because for the moment, the two teams stopped at 23 each. This adds a little more spice to a poster that already seemed very attractive. Will Trae Young once again chill the entire population of the “Big Apple”?
Credit: © Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
