As NBA prepares to celebrate King, Robertson also remembers

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer

NBA players officially began participating in games that were scheduled to celebrate and honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1986 when the federal holiday commemorating the civil-rights leader was observed for the first time. Oscar Robertson knows the tradition dates long before that. He organized a tribute game that was played a few months after King was shot and killed in 1968. And the NBA great is pleased to see players are still remembering, and learning, about those who came before them.