emphis, Tenn. — On Monday, Jan. 15, the Memphis Grizzlies, National Civil Rights Museum, City of Memphis and Shelby County will host the 22nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Game, presented by Ford and your Mid-South Ford Dealers. The MLK Celebration Game concludes a collection of events honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual events include the FedEx Service Project, Sports Legacy Award presentation, annual Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium, the National Civil Rights Museum panel, and Youth Advisory Council TeenTalk. All events are to continue the ongoing conversations with the Memphis and Mid-South community to keep King’s dream alive. Associate MLK Celebration Game sponsors include FedEx, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and the Hyde Family Foundation.
Fans can visit grizzlies.com/MLK for a full list of this year’s 22nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration events, as well as watch symposiums and discussions from previous years.
92.9 FM ESPN will broadcast the Official Grizzlies pregame beginning at 4:30 p.m. with Jessica Benson, then play-by-play with Eric Hasseltine at 5:00 p.m. for the MLK Special.
National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award Honorees
Honorees of the 19th Annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award, presented by Ford and your Mid-South Ford Dealers, features NBA Hall of Famer Alex English, NFL Pro Bowl Running Back Calvin Hill, two-time WNBA Champion and activist Renee Montgomery and MLB Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. The honorees will be celebrated on game day during the Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium, presented by the Hyde Family Foundation.
An eight-time NBA All-Star, English was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after a 15-year career. English is best known for his 11 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, where he helped guide the Nuggets to nine consecutive postseason appearances and a trip to the 1985 Western Conference Finals. When English left the Nuggets, he was the holder of many team records including most career points (21,645), assists (3,679), games (837) and minutes (29,893) in a Nuggets uniform. In addition to his time in Denver, English also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks.
Established in 1989, English’s Let’s Share Foundation contributes funds to feed, heal, shelter, educate, inspire, enlighten and nurture people of every age, gender, race and socioeconomic status. The goal of the Let’s Share Foundation is to provide quality of life for all people through the distribution of resources and support for those who may not be able to achieve it themselves.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Hill enjoyed a 12-year career with the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders and Cleveland Browns. Hill was named to the Pro Bowl team four times as a member of the Cowboys and finished his NFL career with 6,083 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns. Hill is the father of NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, who was part of the 12th Annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award class in 2017.
Hill currently sits on the boards of several organizations and specializes in working with troubled players. As a consultant with the Cleveland Browns, Hill helped form a group of Browns’ players to control and eliminate drug and alcohol-related problems. Hill has also written several articles on sports and academia for national publications and works as a motivational speaker addressing the problems of drugs and alcohol and the important relationship of sports and academia.
One of the most influential figures in the history of women’s basketball, two-time WNBA Champion Montgomery retired after 11 seasons to advocate for racial justice. Montgomery was the 4th overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft after a four-year career at the University of Connecticut that was capped with a 39-0 season and a National Championship. Montgomery played for the Minnesota Lynx, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream. Following her playing career, Montgomery became a part-owner of the Atlanta Dream.
The Renee Montgomery Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit foundation established to inspire, cultivate and empower the RMF “Moments Equal Momentum” optimistic philosophy that emphasizes the power and positive benefits of using each opportunity to build future successful outcomes. The RMF addresses the importance of positivity, education and technology through early youth development that promotes equality in women’s sports and advocates for social justice. RMF provides platforms, programs and resources necessary to encourage growth and develop lifelong skills.
Widely considered one of the greatest shortstops in MLB history, Smith was named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame following a 19-year career with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. Nicknamed “The Wizard,” Smith is the all-time assist leader at shortstop with 8,375 assists. Smith was a 15-time All-Star and 13-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner.
The Ozzie Smith IMAC Regeneration Center opened in May of 2017. The center establishes personalized protocols for patients using physical therapy, chiropractic, platelet rich plasma, spine decompression, and stem cell rejuvenation in pain management and treatment. Additionally, Smith serves as President of PGA REACH Gateway Foundation, an organization that reaches out to inner city youth and our military via mentoring and golf programs.
The Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium will be broadcast live on Bally Sports Southeast on Jan. 15, at 3:30 p.m. and will recognize English, Hill, Montgomery and Smith for their dedication and significant contributions to civil and human rights, the social justice movement and for laying the foundation for future leaders through their careers in sports – all in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Discussions and Community Impact
The multi-day schedule of events begins on Wednesday, Jan. 10, with Visualizing the Dream – A Night of Bringing Dr. King’s Dream to Life Through Artistic Expression. Members of the MENTOR Memphis Grizzlies Youth Advisory Council will give “Teen Talks” which will showcase how Dr. King’s legacy has positively impacted their access to various opportunities for success. This year’s talks will center on the Grizzlies MLK initiative theme of economic mobility. Following “Teen Talks,” 25 local middle school artists will work with local artist Alexis Miché and Grizzlies alum Tony Allen to paint basketballs and reflect on living in Dr. Kings legacy and what their aspirations are, stemming from his “I Have a Dream” speech. The painted basketballs will be displayed at FedExForum Jan. 15 through February.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, presented by FedEx, will be Thursday, Jan. 11. Grizzlies players, in support of the historic Clayborn Temple, will participate in a learning journey designed to provide more insight on the historic 1968 Sanitation Workers Strike and the I AM A MAN campaign. Following the learning journey, Grizzlies players, staff and FedEx volunteers will participate in a service project alongside current sanitation workers benefiting students from Douglass K-8 optional school. Volunteers will engage in a stained-glass making activity reminiscent of the imagery represented in the historic stained glass in Clayborn Temple, as well as pack shelf stable food for more than 500 students at Douglass Optional School.
On Sunday, Jan. 14, honorees and other special guests will tour the National Civil Rights Museum followed by the Intersection of Race and Sport panel, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, and hosted at the NCRM. The panel will feature WNBA Champion and racial justice advocate, Renee Montgomery, and others and will be centered around economic empowerment. The panel will be moderated by President of the National Civil Rights Museum Dr. Russ Wigginton.
Fans can tune in to the Intersection of Race and Sport conversation live at 6 p.m. at Grizzlies.com/MLK, Memphis Grizzlies on YouTube and civilrightsmuseum.org. Media availability for the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy award honorees and discussion panelists will be at the conclusion of the panel around 7 p.m. Media who wish to attend should RSVP to Kaki Glieber at KGlieber@grizzlies.com.
Game Day Celebrations and Activities
The event lineup continues on game day with the annual Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium, presented by the Hyde Family Foundation, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Grizzlies Built Ford Tough Training Facility at FedExForum. The symposium, hosted by Grizzlies television play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica, will feature English, Hill, Montgomery and Smith, who will share stories of their community work and experiences through their career in sports. The symposium will feature opening remarks by Grizzlies President Jason Wexler and Dr. Russ Wigginton, President of the National Civil Rights Museum. The symposium will be broadcast live on Bally Sports Southeast. While admission to the symposium is free with the purchase of a ticket to the Grizzlies vs. Warriors game, space is limited. Doors open at 3 p.m.
Fans will also be able to experience the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Mentor Fair beginning at 4:30 p.m. through halftime. Community partners will be on site throughout the Plaza and Big River Steel Terrace Level Concourses at FedExForum to answer questions and discuss volunteer opportunities.
Beginning at 11 a.m. on MLK Day, the Grizzlies are supporting the 3rd annual Race 4 Reconciliation, a 5k or 1 mile Run/Walk in downtown Memphis. Grizz Girls will be on hand to award finishers with their medals.
Tip-off for the Grizzlies vs. Warriors matchup is at 5 p.m. with the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award Ceremony, presented by Ford and your Mid-South Ford Dealers, preceding the game. Ford Scholar and NCRM representatives will present the honorees with their Sports Legacy Award before tip-off. In addition, Monday’s game will feature a national anthem by Grammy Award-nominee and Memphian Valerie June. A special halftime performance, presented by Ford and your Mid-South Ford Dealers, will feature June, “Queen of Memphis Soul” Carla Thomas and the Gary Goin Band.