Image Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Why the Atlanta Hawks have played on every MLK Day since 1999?

Why Hawks play on every MLK Day?

Image Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The NBA celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy every year with games on MLK Day. In 2025, the league will mark its 39th edition of MLK Day games on January 20, with eight games scheduled. The Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies are the two teams who always play on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and the reason is historical.

Since 1999, the Hawks have played every MLK Day, and 2025 will mark their 26th straight year doing so. Only the New York Knicks, LA Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers have played more games on MLK Day than the Hawks.

Top 5 teams with most games on MLK Day

New York Knicks – 38

Los Angeles Lakers – 34

Philadelphia 76ers – 33

Atlanta Hawks – 33

Washington Wizards – 33

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Why do the Atlanta Hawks always play on MLK Day?

The reason the Hawks always play on MLK Day is simple: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta on January 15, 1929. He grew up in the city and studied at Morehouse College starting at age 15. While Dr. King made a global impact, Atlanta is where his story began. Because of this, the city and the Hawks have a special connection to his legacy.

In fact, Atlanta hosted the first-ever MLK Day game on January 20, 1986. Since then, the Hawks have made it a tradition to play on this special day.

The Hawks and New York Knicks have the most wins in MLK Day history (23), but the Atlanta side holds the highest win percentage (.696) on the holiday as they have gone 23-10 in 33 games on the holiday.

Atlanta Hawks

MLK Day 2025

Swati Bhatia

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I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.