Memphis Grizzlies Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. With Jersey Full Of Symbolism

MEMPHIS (CBS13) — An NBA team is planning to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a uniform full of symbolism from the day the civil rights leader was assassinated.

The Memphis Grizzlies unveiled the plans for the new jersey on Wednesday that honors King in five ways.

#MLK50Pride @memgrizz uniform will tip-off @NCRMuseum remembrance of 50th Anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. pic.twitter.com/xLPKEeJ52N
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) September 14, 2016

The uniform is black, symbolic of the marchers during the civil rights marchers who wore dark suits.

30th March 1965: American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968) and his wife Coretta Scott King lead a black voting rights march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery. (Photo by William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images)
The lettering of "Memphis" on the front of the jersey is inspired by the Lorraine Motel sign, where King was assassinated in 1968.

MEMPHIS, TN - MAY 25: A general view of the exterior of the Lorraine Motel which is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum on May 25, 2013 in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot outside of rooms 306 and 307 on April 4, 1968. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The piping on the jersey resembles the railing of the walkways and balconies around the motel, which has since been converted into a museum.

MEMPHIS, TN - MAY 25: A general view of the exterior of the Lorraine Motel which is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum on May 25, 2013 in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot outside of rooms 306 and 307 on April 4, 1968. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The sea foam color of the numbers match the door where King spent his last moments.

MEMPHIS, TN - MAY 25: A general view of the exterior of the Lorraine Motel which is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum on May 25, 2013 in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot outside of rooms 306 and 307 on April 4, 1968. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
A wreath icon is also on the neckline of the jersey, representing the wreath that hangs where King was assassinated.

MEMPHIS, TN - MAY 25: A general view of the exterior of the Lorraine Motel which is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum on May 25, 2013 in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot outside of rooms 306 and 307 on April 4, 1968. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The jersey will be available starting in January. Read more about it here.