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From Staff Reports

The Hawks’ new City Edition uniforms, released Sunday, made NBA history by honoring civil rights icon and famous Atlanta native Martin Luther King Jr.

King’s initials, “MLK,” loom large on the front of the Nike jersey above the number as a way to recognize “the life and work of a global icon and our city’s most favored son,” the team said. It is the first time in NBA history that the initials of an individual will be featured prominently on the chest of an NBA game uniform.

The Hawks plan to donate proceeds from sales of the 2020-21 King jersey to “support economic empowerment programs for Atlanta’s communities of color.”

The club partnered with King’s estate, the NBA, the NBA Players Association and Nike on the project. The team will wear the alternate City Edition jerseys at select games during the 2020-21 season, and will play on an MLK City Edition-branded court at State Farm Arena for those games.

“It is an incredible privilege to be able to represent the legacy of Dr. King, one of Atlanta’s native sons and one of the nation’s most transformative leaders,” Hawks chief marketing officer Melissa Proctor said. “His message of equality, non-violence, and justice is as relevant today as it was in the ‘60s and we are proud to not only help educate legions of young fans about Dr. King’s work, but empower them to pick up his mantle and embody the change they wish to see in their communities. We are honored that the King Estate would entrust us with these powerful initials.”

Proctor and two other members of the Hawks staff, vice president of brand creative Shirley Zhang and vice president of brand merchandising Amy Serino, worked with the Nike design team on the jersey, which includes King’s signature by the authenticity tag.

Its color scheme features Infinity Black, Vintage Gold and Fidelity White, which the team said speaks to King’s “determination, as well as his understated style,” as well as a nod to his membership in the first Black Greek fraternity. The stars on the matching shorts represent 22 of the 29 times King was jailed fighting for justice and equality.

According to the Hawks, several of the design details of the uniform were inspired by architectural elements of churches where King delivered some of his most moving sermons. The uniform is bordered in white and gold striping that lead to tapered peak at the side of the shorts, designed to mirror the silhouette of stained-glass windows. The crown and shield symbol on the leg of the shorts was inspired by church windows and King’s personal effects.

Born and raised in Atlanta, King became a global symbol of the fight for racial equality through his platform of non-violence. He attended his hometown’s historic Morehouse College, entering as a freshman when he was just 15 years old. While he continued to call Atlanta home, raising his family and pastoring at local churches like Ebenezer Baptist with his father, King led initiatives that caught the attention of a worldwide audience, including the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the March on Washington, where he made his watershed “I Have a Dream” speech. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

King was killed at age 39 by an assassin while in Memphis, where he worked for the rights of the city’s sanitation workers.

“We were honored to learn of the Atlanta Hawks’ desire to pay homage to Dr. King’s life and legacy by using him as the focus of their 2020-21 MLK Nike City Edition uniform design,” said Eric D. Tidwell, managing director and general counsel of Intellectual Properties Management, Inc., which manages King’s estate. “During this challenging climate, it is our hope that this visual reminder of Dr. King’s legacy will inspire people to further educate themselves on how he effected change using his philosophy and methods of nonviolence during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. We look forward to continuing to work with the Hawks to perpetuate his wonderful legacy.”

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