Scheduled
2026-27 · Regular season
NBA’s MLK week, Jan. 11-18: Hawks’ MLK Forever Game, Grizzlies’ 25th MLK celebration, Jalen Johnson and Paul Westhead bobbleheads
Nine NBA teams have Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations between Jan. 11 and the Jan. 18 holiday, led by the Hawks' MLK Forever Game and the Grizzlies' 25th annual MLK Day game. The week also brings Jalen Johnson, Paul Westhead and Dunkstronaut bobbleheads and the Paris and Manchester games. Every themed night with local and Cairo tip times.
In this article
Oct. 28, 2026 — The NBA week from Monday, Jan. 11, to Monday, Jan. 18, 2027, ends on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and nine teams have already put a King celebration on their home schedules. Atlanta, the city where King was born, hosts its MLK Forever Game on the holiday afternoon, and Memphis, where he was killed in 1968, stages its 25th annual MLK Day celebration game that night. The same eight days bring a Jalen Johnson bobblehead in Atlanta, a Paul Westhead bobblehead at the Lakers, a Dunkstronaut bobblehead in Houston, a Guess Who? game at Chase Center, and the Spurs and Pelicans in Paris and Manchester. Below is every themed night with local and Cairo tip times and a Game Center link where one is available.
The previous week is in our Jan. 4-10 guide, and the full season calendar is in the 2026-27 key dates.
MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 18
Seven games are on the holiday schedule, starting with Detroit at Cleveland at noon ET, 7 p.m. in Cairo, and ending with Suns at Clippers at 7:30 p.m. PT, 5:30 a.m. Tuesday in Cairo. Four of the seven home teams have announced a King tribute.
The Hawks call theirs the MLK Forever Game, an afternoon game against Philadelphia at 2:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena that the team says honors “the life, legacy, and lasting impact of Atlanta’s own Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” The game is presented by Georgia Power, and it starts at 9:30 p.m. Cairo time. The rest of the Hawks’ season is in our Hawks promotions guide.
In Memphis the Grizzlies host Houston at 6:30 p.m. CT, 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in Cairo, in their 25th annual MLK Day Celebration Game, presented by Ford and the Mid-South Ford dealers. FedExForum is less than two miles from the Lorraine Motel, where King was shot on April 4, 1968, and which is now the National Civil Rights Museum. The full Memphis calendar is in our Grizzlies giveaways guide.
The Cavaliers hold their Martin Luther King Jr. Day game in the noon matinee against Detroit, and the Mavericks honor King when Oklahoma City visits at 7 p.m. CT, 3 a.m. Tuesday in Cairo, in Thunder at Mavericks. Boston plays at Washington at 3 p.m. ET in Celtics at Wizards, and Minnesota visits the Knicks at 5 p.m. ET, midnight in Cairo.
The King celebrations before the holiday
Five more teams mark the holiday at home games earlier in the week. The Timberwolves go first, with a Dr. MLK Jr. Day celebration against Cleveland on Monday, Jan. 11. The Bucks hold theirs on Friday, Jan. 15, against Cleveland again, presented by WE Energies. That means the Cavaliers will be the visitors at two King celebrations before hosting their own on the holiday.
On Saturday, Jan. 16, the Celtics hold an MLK Day recognition night against Brooklyn at TD Garden; King earned his doctorate at Boston University in 1955. On Sunday, Jan. 17, the Bulls host Toronto in a 2:30 p.m. CT Martin Luther King Jr. Day game presented by Advocate Health Care, and the Nuggets hold a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend celebration against Orlando that night. The Celtics, Bucks and Nuggets nights are also in our Celtics specialty nights guide, Bucks giveaways guide and Nuggets theme nights guide.
The bobbleheads and giveaways
On Wednesday, Jan. 13, the first 5,000 fans at State Farm Arena for Cleveland’s visit get a Jalen Johnson bobblehead. The Hawks note that Johnson was named an All-Star in 2025-26, and the item is handed out while supplies last. That same night the Warriors give the first 10,000 fans a Warriors edition of the Guess Who? board game, presented by Coupa, when Charlotte visits Chase Center.
On Thursday, Jan. 14, the Lakers hold the second of three League of Stars nights against Orlando, and fans receive a Paul Westhead bobblehead. Westhead was the coach of the 1980 Lakers, who won the title in his first season after he took over from the injured Jack McKinney. The series, presented by BMO, also honors Kurt Rambis and Norm Nixon.
In Houston the Rockets give the first 5,000 fans a Dunkstronaut bobblehead, presented by Toyota, against Washington on Friday, Jan. 15. The next night against Detroit is a Space City Saturday, with the Rockets in their black Statement Edition uniforms on the new Dunkstronaut court. In Memphis the first 3,000 fans get Grizzlies Mentor Shirts on Mentoring Night against Dallas on Tuesday, Jan. 12, and a City Edition scarf at City Night against Cleveland on Saturday, Jan. 16, which also brings a 191 Collabs merchandise drop with the designer Slowdown Dry Goods.
Two City Edition nights fall on Thursday, Jan. 14. The Pistons wear their 2026-27 City Edition uniforms for the first time against Dallas and hand out a City Edition keychain, and the Bulls hold a City Edition Night against Minnesota. The Pistons’ full list is in our Pistons promo schedule.
Every themed night, Jan. 11 to 18
Tip times come from the league schedule. In January, Cairo is seven hours ahead of the East Coast, eight ahead of Central time, nine ahead of Mountain time and 10 ahead of the West Coast. Games without a link do not have a Game Center page yet.
| Date | Game | Tip (local) | Cairo time | Night / giveaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Jan. 11 | Rockets at Celtics | 7:30 p.m. ET | Tue 2:30 a.m. | First Responders Night |
| Mon., Jan. 11 | Cavaliers at Timberwolves | 7 p.m. CT | Tue 3:00 a.m. | Dr. MLK Jr. Day celebration |
| Tue., Jan. 12 | Mavericks at Grizzlies | 7 p.m. CT | Wed 3:00 a.m. | Mentoring Night; Mentor Shirts (first 3,000) |
| Wed., Jan. 13 | Cavaliers at Hawks | 7 p.m. ET | Thu 2:00 a.m. | Jalen Johnson bobblehead (first 5,000) |
| Wed., Jan. 13 | Hornets at Warriors | 7 p.m. PT | Thu 5:00 a.m. | Warriors Guess Who? game (first 10,000) |
| Thu., Jan. 14 | Pelicans vs. Spurs, Paris | 8 p.m. CET | Thu 9:00 p.m. | NBA Paris Game at Accor Arena |
| Thu., Jan. 14 | Mavericks at Pistons | 7 p.m. ET | Fri 2:00 a.m. | City Edition debut; City Edition keychain |
| Thu., Jan. 14 | Timberwolves at Bulls | 7 p.m. CT | Fri 3:00 a.m. | City Edition Night |
| Thu., Jan. 14 | Magic at Lakers | 7 p.m. PT | Fri 5:00 a.m. | League of Stars Night; Paul Westhead bobblehead |
| Fri., Jan. 15 | Cavaliers at Bucks | 7 p.m. CT | Sat 3:00 a.m. | Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration |
| Fri., Jan. 15 | Wizards at Rockets | 7:30 p.m. CT | Sat 3:30 a.m. | Dunkstronaut bobblehead (first 5,000) |
| Sat., Jan. 16 | Nets at Celtics | 7 p.m. ET | Sun 2:00 a.m. | MLK Day recognition night |
| Sat., Jan. 16 | Cavaliers at Grizzlies | 7 p.m. CT | Sun 3:00 a.m. | City Night; City Edition scarf (first 3,000); Slowdown Dry Goods collab |
| Sat., Jan. 16 | Pistons at Rockets | 7:30 p.m. CT | Sun 3:30 a.m. | Space City Saturday |
| Sun., Jan. 17 | Spurs vs. Pelicans, Manchester | 3:30 p.m. GMT | Sun 5:30 p.m. | NBA Manchester Game at Co-op Live |
| Sun., Jan. 17 | Raptors at Bulls | 2:30 p.m. CT | Sun 10:30 p.m. | Martin Luther King Jr. Day game |
| Sun., Jan. 17 | Magic at Nuggets | 6 p.m. MT | Mon 3:00 a.m. | Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend |
| Mon., Jan. 18 | Pistons at Cavaliers | 12 p.m. ET | Mon 7:00 p.m. | Martin Luther King Jr. Day game |
| Mon., Jan. 18 | 76ers at Hawks | 2:30 p.m. ET | Mon 9:30 p.m. | MLK Forever Game |
| Mon., Jan. 18 | Rockets at Grizzlies | 6:30 p.m. CT | Tue 2:30 a.m. | 25th annual MLK Day Celebration Game |
| Mon., Jan. 18 | Thunder at Mavericks | 7 p.m. CT | Tue 3:00 a.m. | Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. |
Paris and Manchester in the middle of the week
The Spurs and Pelicans meet twice in Europe this week. The Pelicans are the home team at Accor Arena in Paris on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 9 p.m. Cairo time, and the Spurs are the home team at Co-op Live in Manchester on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 5:30 p.m. Cairo time, the earliest tip of the week for viewers in Egypt. Both games are on Prime Video in the United States. Tickets for both sold out, and the remaining premium packages are in our Paris and Manchester guide.
How the giveaways work
An item with a number beside it, like the Hawks’ Jalen Johnson bobblehead or the Rockets’ Dunkstronaut bobblehead, is handed out at the doors until the supply runs out, so fans who want one should arrive when the gates open. The Warriors’ Guess Who? game goes to the first 10,000 fans, which at Chase Center is more than half the building. The Lakers have not listed a number for the Westhead bobblehead, and teams can still add or change items during the season, so check the team’s site before the game.
What comes next
The week’s first King celebration is Cavaliers at Timberwolves on Monday, Jan. 11, and the first bobblehead is Cavaliers at Hawks on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The holiday itself opens with Pistons at Cavaliers at noon ET on Monday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m. in Cairo.
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