The Atlanta Hawks are bringing in Atlanta native and hip-hop icon Michael “Killer Mike” Render to perform a special tribute dedicated to the life of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. during halftime of its annual MLK Day game on Jan. 15.
Killer Mike was a part of the Hawks’ season schedule release in August, and his latest album MICHAEL is nominated for best rap album, best rap performance and best rap song at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
Though this isn’t Killer Mike’s first collaboration with the team, he said that “as an Atlanta native and fellow Morehouse Man who is also a Hawks fan, performing for Atlanta during the MLK celebration is the homecoming dream of a lifetime” in a Hawks news release.
Before tipoff, the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society will sing the Hawks player introductions and the national anthem.
The team and JPMorgan Chase & Co. will host a pregame panel titled A Transparent Conversation About Homeownership in Atlanta. The panel will discuss home ownership discrepancies and how to increase home ownership rates in the Black community in the Atlanta area.
“Chase is honored to stand alongside the Atlanta Hawks and Killer Mike to pay tribute to the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by actively championing the path to financial freedom for all,” Corey Mason, a home lending adviser for JP Morgan Chase in Atlanta, said in a news release. “Our pregame panel aims to enlighten Hawks fans about homeownership, emphasizing its role as the cornerstone of building robust communities and fostering generational wealth.”
The panel discussion will be open to fans who have a ticket for the game and have RSVP’d to attend the panel, according to the news release. Fans who purchase tickets will receive an invitation link to RSVP. The panel will also be livestreamed at Hawks.com/stream.
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