Hoops, Hopes & Dreams: Breaking Ankles, Building Movements

What if I told you there was someone who could outrun, hook, push, and shoot with Kyrie Irving; someone who’d have you calling Zavier Simpson "Captain Crunch" instead of "Captain Hook," and make David Robinson look like a Private instead of an Admiral? You’d look at me crazy, especially if I told you this man showed up to the court in slacks, a dress shirt, a tie, and shiny shoes. You’d swear I was describing someone heading to church, not a basketball game.

But don’t let the creases in the pants fool you. You may know him as a civil rights leader, preacher, family man, and the voice behind the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech but did you know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a beast on the court? Breaking ankles. Running the floor. And according to his daughter, Dr. Bernice King, he had a mean left hand you’d probably say, "I was double crossing you" pun fully intended.

Just when you think you know everything there is to know about an individual’s experiences, history quietly repeats itself igniting memories and sparking recollections of moments that feel both familiar and newly discovered. In the film Hoops, Hopes & Dreams, we’re introduced to Dr. King, the baller, and reminded that Martin Luther King Jr. was not a man of one dimension. He had layers... relatable layers.

He was intelligent enough to understand that if he wanted to build a movement made up of people from all walks of life, he first had to earn the respect of those who might not be in church on Sundays, show up to a demonstration, or walk in a march but still wanted to belong to something bigger than themselves.

Basketball became the bridge, especially to the youth; helping them understand that their voice matters and while he was a preacher, leader and public figure, he was just like them. Dr. Bernice King put it best when she said, “I like for people to see my father in a more humanized role, a more down-to-earth role, and to show that he had all kinds of ways to connect with people where they were to get them involved in the movement.” And that’s the lesson; as we galvanize people, we have to be willing to meet them in many spaces.

History repeating itself can be both beautiful and inspiring. Many people also know that former President Barack Obama could get busy on the court. In Hoops, Hopes & Dreams, we see how Obama leaned into his love for basketball to connect with potential voters who weren’t necessarily watching debates on ABC. Sometimes, when change is necessary, loosening the tie and throwing on a pair of Jordans is the only way to show relatability.

Fun fact: Obama famously played pickup basketball games during the Democratic caucuses as a good luck charm. I mean you were there, so you already know how that turned out. *Wink.*

Jesse Williams once said there’s been a long-running joke that Black people are better at sports, but it’s not that simple. We’re excellent at everything. Basketball just happened to be the one thing they couldn’t stop us from doing. It’s about access.

Hoops, Hopes & Dreams reminds us that our voices are powerful; from the court to running the country. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama solidified that truth by bringing accessibility to the game, meeting people where they were, and leaving them with one lasting message: you have influence!

Hoops, Hopes & Dreams streams on Hulu on MLK Day, January 19th.