Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an NBA tradition that sees marquee matchups in celebration of one of the most important figures in American history. The league will celebrate 40 years of NBA MLK Day games. The annual tradition pairs basketball with a powerful message, serving as both a celebration of Dr. King’s legacy and a reminder of the work still to be done.

This year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Jaylen Brown, and Stephen Curry, among others, will be on display. Before them, here are 10 other instances that are still relevant and have mesmerized the fans.

1. Agent Zero was Agent Hero

The fans always want a nail-biting performance, and the nation’s capital got it through Agent Zero. On Jan. 15, 2007, the Wizards outlasted the Jazz 114-111 as Gilbert Arenas delivered an all-time great showing with 51 points, including a game-winning buzzer-beater. 7-12 from the 3-point line helped his cause, and his clutch shooting in the game’s closing moments elevated this performance.

He entered the final three minutes with 36 points. Then Arenas hit four three-pointers in the final 3:11, including a heavily contested game-winner as time expired. In 41 minutes of action, he ended with 51 points, 14-29 FG, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists, and it remained a top-scoring performance for some time.

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2. NBA Finals Rematch featuring the Warriors and the Cavaliers

The league made sure that after the epic seven-game series in the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors and Cavaliers met again. The Warriors jumped on the Cavs from the opening tip and never let up. Klay Thompson led all scorers with 26 points, Stephen Curry added 20, Kevin Durant added 21, and Draymond Green earned a triple-double for Golden State.

The Splash Bros made a dent with each making five 3-pointers, combining to shoot 10-23 from distance. Meanwhile, the Cavs’ entire team shot 9-34 from 3, including LeBron James’s effort of 1-4 from beyond the arc. He finished with 20 points, and Kyrie Irving added only 17, as the Warriors ran away 126-91.

3. Damian Lillard vs the Warriors

Yes, the Warriors are on the list again, but this time they were without Stephen Curry. But Dame Time truly took over on Jan. 21, 2020, in his 45 action-packed minutes. That season, Damian Lillard had 3 60-point games, including a thrilling overtime victory against the Warriors on MLK Day. He created his own shots, sank off-balance floaters, and confidently drained a 36-foot pull-up triple.

Portland needed him to step up with 15 seconds remaining and them trailing by 3. Lillard delivered a step-back three to force overtime. In the extra period, he buried another clutch deep ball with under a minute to play. He overtook Gilbert Arenas’ 51 points and ended with 61 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 11-20 3FG.

4. Jayson Tatum needed extra motivation on MLK Day

Jayson Tatum was on 48 points entering the final minute of the Boston Celtics clash against the Charlotte Hornets. The Beantown was already leading by 13, and there was no chance of a comeback. Naturally, JT thought about letting the clock run down. But he did score on a 3-pointer from the left wing with 38 seconds left and swished it, giving him a season-high 51 points.

The crowd erupted with chants of “MVP! MVP!” as it was his seventh 50-point game. That switch happened after legend Jamal Crawford had a word of encouragement for the Celtics star. “That’s what was going through my mind: Jamal telling me if you get that close to 50, go get it.” Tatum even took over in the crucial stage, finishing with 17 points in the fourth quarter.

5. Blake Griffin – Jan. 17, 2011 – Clippers 114-Pacers 107 Statline: 37 minutes, 47 points (career high as a Clipper), 19-24 FG, 9-11 FT, 14 rebounds, 3 assists In his prime, Blake Griffin was a force of nature, and on MLK Day 2011, he unleashed his full repertoire against the Indiana Pacers. Griffin dominated from start to finish, hitting five of six mid-range shots, racking up 14 rebounds and scoring 47 points on nearly 80% shooting. His relentless attacks on the rim not only piled up points but also left Roy Hibbert in foul trouble, limiting the Pacers center to just 12 minutes. Griffin’s career-high performance as a Clipper was also the third-highest scoring game of the 2010-11 season, a testament to his dominance.

5. Michael Jordan was the top scorer for a decade

Before Arenas took the charts, it was His Airness in the top spot. Jordan had the highest-scoring game in MLK Day history for over a decade when he scored 46 points in Chicago’s 116-109 win over Washington. The performance had him being efficient from 16-31 FG, 3-7 from three pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. This performance is also iconic because of what transpired in the previous game.

This 46-point masterclass on January 15, 1996, was 48 hours after annihilating the Philadelphia 76ers. Michael dropped 48 points then and had scored 94 points in just two games. A true must-see star during that time.

6. Shaquille O’Neal

A rookie Shaquille O’Neal did not disappoint and ended with a monster game. The then Magic star added 38 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in Orlando’s 124-118 overtime loss to Philadelphia. But he also had 8 blocks in the game, which are tied for the most blocks in a game on MLK Day. Knicks legend Patrick Ewing is the only other player to have eight blocks on MLK Day.

7. Patrick Ewing made the list

Shaq was once intimidated by the Knicks legend, as he considered him one of his idols. On Jan. 17, 1994, he had 34 points and 11 rebounds to help the Knicks beat the Timberwolves 106-94 at Madison Square Garden. He was helped by John Starks’ double-double: 27 points, 11 assists. But that day, Ewing created another history.

During the game, Ewing became the first Knicks player to reach the 15,000 career points milestone. He remains the franchise leader in scoring with 23,665 points. And no other player in a Knicks uniform has scored 15,000 points.

8. James Harden and his prolific scoring

On Jan. 19, 2015, Harden needed only 18 shot attempts to score 45 points. He shot 12-18 from the field, 7-12 from three, and 14-15 from the free throw line in Houston’s 110-98 win over Indiana. In fact, he scored 33 points in the second half alone, setting a new career-high for points in a single half. This included three consecutive three-pointers within a minute of gameplay.

9. Another Houston star, Dwight Howard, makes the list

When Harden hit 45, Howard also had a huge game with 17 rebounds and 14 points. But next year, he got even better. On Jan. 18, 2016, Superman made the record for most rebounds collected on MLK Day with 26. He also scored 36 points in Houston’s 140-132 overtime loss to the LA Clippers. Overall, in the league, it was just the third time such a record was set.

Since the 1983-84 season, there have been only three performances where a player tallied at least 36 points and 26 rebounds, as Howard joined Chris Webber (2001) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1988).

10. Blake Griffin answered the call for the Clippers

He was in the middle of the most dominant rookie seasons in NBA history, averaging 23.0 points and 12.7 rebounds, while shooting 51.8 percent. On Jan. 17, 2011, he continued his 27th consecutive double-double streak by helping the Clippers rally to beat the Indiana Pacers, 114-107. It was also the 33rd double-double of his rookie season.

Griffin finished with a then-career-high 47 points on 19-24 shooting from the field, and grabbed 14 boards. His 19 field goals were a career best.