The four honorees of the 9th Annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award: (L-R) Alex English, Renee Montgomery, Calvin Hill and Ozzie Smith.
On Jan. 15, Alex English, Calvin Hill, Renee Montgomery and Ozzie Smith were named honorees of the 9th Annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award. Their award was received in Memphis for the 22nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day game.
Grounded upon their change-making efforts within the intersection of race and sport, all four honorees exemplify the power of athletes to utilize and advance Dr. King’s values.
One of the honorees, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA legend Alex English, shares his story.
Alex English at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis on Jan. 14.
Alex English enters the doors of the National Civil Rights Museum for a walk down memory lane. Strolling through the halls, he sees fractions of his upbringing on display in real-time, as components of his life now remain everlasting in the halls of the once Lorraine Motel.
This is the same motel that housed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 55 years prior, before he was shot and killed there on April 4, 1968.
“That bus that they had Rosa Parks in, I’ve been on that bus. Those lunch counters, those are the very same lunch counters that we couldn’t go to,” English said after the visit.
“There were a lot of things there that took me back to my childhood and growing up in South Carolina during that era.”
Inside his South Carolina home was English’s first introduction to King. As a child, he simply felt lucky to be in the room with the grown-ups.
“Normally the grown ups would say, ‘this is grown people’s conversation’,” English said, “But when they were talking about the movement and things happening, the KKK and Dr. Martin Luther King, they didn’t push us out of the room.”
It was through his grandmother, a laundry worker in Columbia, that the conversations surrounding civil rights emerged. English remembers Sunday hymnals with her at their local church, as the acoustics of “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” echoed through the sanctuary. She didn’t just sing those words, she acted upon them.
And suddenly, those conversations became a jarring reality.
“I can remember sitting on one of my grandmother’s porches on a Friday evening and the KKK riding up and down the street with their hoods on,” English said.
His grandmother rushed the children back inside the safety of their four walls. “We lived it.”
The night King died, chaos ensued in his community.
“In my neighborhood, I can remember, there was an antique shop that was owned by white men. These kids just bummed it with a kerosene Coca-Cola bottle and set it on fire [as] we were protesting. And that was just one incident. There were fires all over the city.”
He sees those words written on the walls of the museum in 2024. The nation commemorates the legacy of King and now, English’s legacy is being commemorated, too.
Celebrating the @NCRMuseum Sport Legacy Award honorees for their dedication and contributions to civil and human rights and the social justice movement.
▪️ @AlexEnglish_2
▪️ @ReneeMontgomery
▪️ Calvin Hill
▪️ @STLWizardpresented by @MidSouthFord pic.twitter.com/eQEuPbifPP
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 15, 2024
Most basketball fans are likely familiar with English. The NBA’s most prolific scorer in the 1980s, English produced record-breaking numbers in his 15 seasons. A star with the Denver Nuggets in that decade, he was an eight-time All-Star and made three All-NBA teams. His 21,645 points still ranks No. 1 in team history and he remains in the top 5 all-time for the franchise in steals, assists, rebounds and blocks.
However, it was how English dedicated his time off the court that cements his legacy in Memphis. From donating his All-Star money to communities in Ethiopia, to launching the Let’s Share Foundation in 1989, English used his position in the basketball world to create change. Through studying King’s speeches and written work, he says that education is the foundation for social impact — especially for athletes with the platform they’re given.
“They have to know where we’ve come from and where they’ve come from,” English said, “They’ve got an audience. And they have to make sure that they are educating that audience the right way, and about the right things.”
He thinks back to his upbringing in the South and what he calls the center of gravity for the Civil Rights Movement. The young boy, bright and eager to learn about the work of King has now been awarded for his contributions over half a century later. He ponders what he would say if he knew this was in store for him.
“I would probably say thank you for taking that route,” English said. “Thank you for living that life. We did it.”
