It was April 5, 1968, the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the Lorraine Motel balcony in Memphis, when Oscar Robertson, head of the National Basketball Players Association, picked up the phone. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between Bill Russell’s Celtics and Wilt Chamberlain’s Sixers was scheduled for that night in Philadelphia. And while there were talks among players on those teams about not playing, the game went on as planned. Still, Robertson wanted to recognize King with a tribute. Some of his contemporaries had met the minister; others attended speeches as they grew more politically active in the ’60s. So Robertson spoke with Larry Fleisher, the union’s counsel, and then started dialing the phone number of each team’s player representative to talk about what could be done to contribute to King’s cause.
It was April 5, 1968, the day after Dr. Martin Luther K…
April 17, 2021 | 6:52 pm EDT Update
Alex Kennedy: The Toronto Raptors were fined $25,000 by the NBA:
Josh Lewenberg: Nurse on OG Anunoby: “He’s super hungry, he’s super motivated to be a really good player at both ends of the floor. He’s working, he’s studying, his conditioning is amazing, his care for his body is amazing. He wants it really badly.”
Jonathan Feigen: Rockets guard John Wall listed as out in Orlando tomorrow, the first game of a back-to-back, for injury management. With Brown, Augustin, Gordon, House, Nwaba also out, Rockets down to three guards, Porter Jr., Bradley, Brooks.
Tony East: Doug McDermott and Myles Turner are both questionable for Pacers-Hawks tomorrow. Kris Dunn, Danilo Gallinari, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Tony Snell are out for the Hawks. John Collins is questionable.
Josh Lewenberg: VanVleet on the play-in: “If we’re not in it then it’s stupid & it was a bad decision… But if somehow we make the play-in then obviously that type of mentality is not gonna work for you. I see both sides of it… I hope they make all the money they were looking to make off it”
April 17, 2021 | 5:48 pm EDT Update
Damian Lillard remains out for Blazers
Casey Holdahl: Injury report: @Damian Lillard is OUT for Sunday’s game “right hamstring tendinopathy.” Second straight game he’ll miss after sitting out Friday’s win in San Antonio.
