SHOCKING!!!! Grizzlies get Snubbed on MLK DAY!!!

August 1, 2025 Chukz Blog 0

This upcoming season, the Memphis Grizzlies will play two regular season games abroad, according to the NBA. On January 15 in Berlin and January 18 in London, the Grizzlies will take on the Orlando Magic.

 

As a result, the Grizzlies will make history by playing their first regular season games in a continent other than North America.

 

The Grizzlies, one of the NBA’s smaller market franchises, are thrilled about this chance to increase their visibility on a global scale. But Grizzlies fans in the US aren’t happy about this new development.

 

Even though the team’s yearly game on Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day would have happened on January 19th, Desmond Bane’s return to Memphis has been postponed.

 

 

MLK Day is significant for Memphis on and off the court

During a visit to support the Black sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel.

 

Eventually, in 1991, the Lorraine Motel was converted to the National Civil Rights Museum. As a part of the NBA’s commemoration of MLK Day, the Grizzlies have played at home on MLK Day Almost ever year since they moved to Memphis.

This past season, the Grizzlies came back from a 16-point deficit against the Minnesota Timberwolves, thanks to a heroic 4th-quarter takeover from Jaren Jackson Jr.

 

Other recent MLK Day performances include the Grizzlies beating the Suns by 30 points in 2023 and GG Jackson II and Vince Williams Jr. leading a short-handed Grizzlies team to victory over the Warriors in 2024.

 

Despite the Grizzlies’ all-time record on MLK Day being below .500, they have created many great on-court memories recently.

Beyond the significance of the game, MLK Day holds even greater significance for the Grizzlies. In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, the team has numerous traditions, such as going to the National Civil Rights Museum once a year and holding the Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium.
The Grizzlies are active members of the Memphis community, participating in activities like the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Besides the obvious basketball implications, skipping MLK Day also means missing out on a chance to further engage the Memphis community, which is important for the organization’s mission.
While it’s great to watch the Grizzlies play on a global stage, the NBA made a huge error by scheduling a game that would have allowed them to play on Martin Luther King, Jr.
For the 2026–27 NBA season and many more to follow, the NBA should make sure that the Grizzlies are scheduled to play on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Not only will this be good for the NBA, but it will also help Memphis and the Grizzlies celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.

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