a death closely associated with NBA history

On April 4, 1968. Martin Luther King was killed on the balcony Lorraine Motel in Memphisin Tennessee. The news spread quickly across America, which slept rough and woke up broken, as the evening was marked by violent riots across the country. The NBA is also in chaos.

Because on that day, Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics must face Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Sixers in the Eastern Conference Finals. After the assassination of pasteurthe great rivalry between the two giants is clearly fading into the background as everyone wonders: should we really play this match?

A deep divide, even in the heart of the NBA

In the league, as in America, there are two opposing camps. Jack Ramsey, the general manager of the Sixers, explains that the players are bound by contract and must participate in the meeting. Walter Kennedy, the commissioner, does not make decisions and leaves it up to the franchise owners to decide.

The leader explains that Martin Luther King is not the president. Bailey Howell, the white wing of the Celtics, does not see why the game should be postponed. ” What was his title? » he asks the journalists. ” Why should we cancel his game? »

Boston, where he died Bill Russell acts as a coach/player, organizes a meeting. The team, 8 out of 10 of whom are black, decides to play. Philadelphia does the same. Seven players decide to play, Chet Walker abstains. Wilt Chamberlain and Wally Jones vote to adjourn the meeting. The game will be played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, due to fears of further riots and the effects of last-minute cancellations.

A match without passion, played to avoid riots

The room, which was sold out all year, is not full. The Celtics enter the field in silence, the Sixers follow them, but there is no life, no desire, and Boston wins (127-118) in a match that the players, despite the stakes, played with their heads in second place. ” I was in shock all day ” said Bill Russell. « I sat for five hours before I could come up with anything ».

The second game of the series will not be played until five days later, and both teams have decided to postpone the meeting. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain attend the pastor’s funeral. The Celtics pivot, whose ideas were closer to those of Malcolm X, nevertheless went to the black neighborhoods of Boston to preach the return of calm. ” Where is the perspective and concept of things? The average black man thinks that going to the moon or Vietnam is more important than living here. I believe that people are our greatest resource. »

David Stern immediately celebrates “Martin Luther King Day”

After being down 3-1, the Celtics eventually beat the Sixers before winning the Finals against the Lakers. Martin Luther King is gone.

As soon as the pastor died, a campaign was launched in the United States to create a national holiday dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King. But opposition remained strong, and Ronald Reagan opposed it, before Congress finally forced its hand. Therefore, it was not until 1986 that “MLK Day” was celebrated for the first time.

NBA commissioner for two years, David Stern immediately seize the opportunity to establish his tribute. It’s every third Monday in January, around Martin Luther King’s birthday.

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This article was originally published on January 18, 2018