Martin Luther King Jr. Day

As a black-owned business, The Basketball Movement recognizes the gravity of Martin Luther King Junior’s impact.

Rob Yanders and his entities have always made a point to embrace diversity, practice acceptance, and remain vigilant in upholding the vision of trailblazers such as Martin Luther King Jr.

Being knowledgeable about the triumphs and struggles of those that have come before is critical, but the learning can never stop. Therefore, Yanders makes sure his staff, Yanders Law athletes, and students of We Are United are well-versed in the history that makes what he does possible.

Yanders is a black man that has started a prep school, created and run a successful AAU program, operated a training facility that has bettered the lives of thousands, spoken at events, and put on charitable functions that have impacted many individuals. The sacrifices that occurred to make these things possible in America are not lost on him.

“We have obviously come so far in this country,” Yanders says. “Just as obvious is that we still have work to do. I am proud of our community and the work being done. I hope that the acceptance we see at our facility is also being practiced behind closed doors so that we can continue improving with each generation.”

As a proud black business owner, Yanders hopes that everyone spends Martin Luther King Jr. Day reflecting on the teachings of Doctor King as well as practicing self-examination. Stifling ingrained prejudices is not easy. But, we must all work on ourselves, lift up others, and always bring our A-game regarding matters of acceptance and equal treatment.

Basketball and sports, in general, are great equalizers that bring people together regardless of race or ethnicity. Every year, the NBA does a great job of highlighting Dr. King and blasting reminders of his legacy while delivering a terrific slate of games.

Tune in while you spend your time reflecting. Hoops can bring us together, but so can learning, time spent giving back, and uplifting action. We at The Basketball Movement appreciate you for reading and taking the time to reflect and better our community. Come by any time, and we can get better together!

Around the NBA: Zion set to debut, All-Star selections

It is a big week for the NBA with Zion Williamson making his first appearance and the announcement of the All-Star starters.

Monday marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is always a notable holiday around the NBA. In addition to a full slate of televised games, the league did a great job as always of putting things in perspective with tributes, interviews that highlight Dr. King’s impact, and addressing that the NBA could not be what it is today without the civil rights movement.

Skip ahead to tonight, and the big week continues as rookie Zion Williamson makes his much-anticipated debut at 8:30 pm (CST) on ESPN. Tonight is a double-header with the Sixers visiting the Raptors at 6:00 pm (CST) in another good game.

Williamson’s debut comes after speculation that the New Orleans Pelicans may shut him down for the season to preserve their prized rookie in a season that is not going well in the win column. We have also seen Zion throwing down some impressive dunks in shootarounds before taking the bench for games, so whether or not he was healthy enough to give it a go was not an issue.

Below is a reminder of what the 19-year-old is capable of from the preseason:

Brandon Ingram has valiantly filled the void of the go-to guy for the Pelicans this year. He appears to have made enough of a leap that he is unlikely to take a backseat to Zion upon his return. The two will form a one-two punch that will be difficult for opposing teams to handle. Mix in the savvy of Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick, and Derrick Favors with the emerging talent of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Jaxson Hayes, and there is a solid team here.

We likely won’t fully see things come together until next season for these young Pelicans. Until then, we can still count on one hell of a show, and that starts tonight.

All-Star starters to be announced

Another exciting event around the NBA is the announcement of the 2020 All-Star starters. Fans have been voting for over a month and the top five vote-getters from both the Eastern and Western Conference will be announced during the usual Thursday double-header on TNT tomorrow night.

The “third fan returns” came out on January 16th and voting ended on January 20th. So, the below image (taken from the official NBA.com website) should provide a decent idea of who is in. Keep in mind also that fan voting is 50 percent of the equation, media is 25 percent, and players make up the other 25 percent.

Screenshot 2020-01-22 at 12.45.53 PM.png

In both Conferences, three frontcourt players and two backcourt players will be selected as starters. So, four days of voting likely did not impact most of these players on the fan side. The ones that appear to be borderline are the East guards, with Kemba Walker close behind Kyrie Irving. The media and player voting is likely to sway things as well.

The validity of fan voting is always questioned, but the above does not appear to be terribly skewed as it relates to season performance. Some fan favorites are sitting a bit high relative to games played - Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, and Carmelo Anthony have all missed substantial time this year. Tacko Fall and Alex “Bald Mamba” Caruso are on this list as a collective joke between fans.

The remainder of the All-Star rosters will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, the rest of the week includes some really nice matchups. The national TV schedule is decently loaded, but there is a free preview of NBA League Pass running from now through the 26th for good measure. Also, for those that will be available to watch, there is an afternoon game Friday with the Bucks and Hornets facing off in Paris.

For more on what is going on around the NBA, stay tuned to The Basketball Movement here and on our Twitter.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day - The Basketball Movement

Today is an excellent day to take time to appreciate what we have and reflect on how far we have come. The Basketball Movement wants to remind everyone to be thankful.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a titan of his time, albeit soft-spoken and humble. Our country sets this holiday aside as a reminder of his bravery and sacrifice that helped countless generations. He was not alone, as there are many civil rights heroes that deserve our remembrance on this and all days.

All industries, academic institutions, sports, organizations of every kind, and more have deeply felt the impact of the civil rights movement over the years. As a basketball organization, we clearly see the impact of ends to segregation and discrimination based on race.

The game has had many pioneers and is still seeing more all the time - even today. These pioneers are not always players - we see female coaches and officials making incredible strides at all levels of the game as well as global growth and inclusion for individuals of all colors and creeds.

The Basketball Movement’s Founder, Rob Yanders is thrilled to be a face of change for his community as well. Through sports, he is striving for growth, inclusion, and encouragement for all.

MLK and the NBA

Every year, the NBA does a fantastic job of covering MLK Day around the league. There are games running all day, televised starting this morning.

Besides the games, they include stories of the league’s early pioneers all the way up to current players. All-day basketball broken up by positive messages and reverence makes for some great TV, especially if you are off for the day. Below is the day’s TV schedule:
(All times shown in Central)

11:30AM OKC @ NYK -NBA TV

2:00PM ORL @ ATL - NBA TV

4:30PM NOL @ MEM - TNT

7:00PM HOU @ PHI - TNT

9:30PM GSW @ LAL - TNT

Enjoy the basketball and remember what it took to bring it to you. This country has many figures to look back at and appreciate, but today belongs to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!