SEE IT: Wizards, Cavs honor Dr. King with MLK Day message originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
With nine NBA games slated for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, teams around the league will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the social justice work in front of them.
The Wizards-Cavaliers MLK Day matchup was postponed due to an outbreak of Covid-19, but the two organizations were still able to collaborate on a video tweeted from their respective team accounts.
“We will continue to push, continue to dream, and continue to work to make our voices heard so that we are not just seen as two teams battling on the court, but recognized as one force fighting for injustice,” the video states.
The video borrows the infamous words Dr. King delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
“Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate to the sunlit path of racial justice. Until these changes come, our work will not be complete. Until these changes come, we’re still dreaming.”
Wizards guard Bradley Beal reflected on the work he and the organization have done to honor Dr. King's fight for social justice.
"We did a great job of getting people out to register to vote. We set record numbers as nation, but this is just a stepping stone," Beal, who was awarded the NBA Community Assist Award in 2019 and led a march with Mystics guard Natasha Cloud during the Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, said.
"He left something great and remarkable for us to run with and try to make better in today's society and the work isn't finished."
The Wizards and Cavaliers double-header was postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak in the Wizards locker room. The Wizards are scheduled to return to play against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
