“MLK is a beacon of hope in terms of how he lived his life and what he stood for” - Steph Curry pays a touching tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy with a short video of their players and coaches talking about him.

Today, January 17th is MLK Day in the United States. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist who was the primary spokesperson for the American Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and '60s. His words resonated with several communities across the country and his work sets the foundation for the laws we have today.

Superstar point guard Steph Curry has been quite vocal with respect to civil rights and social justice. He spoke about Dr. King's impact on society today and what he meant to the African American community.

"MLK is a beacon of hope in terms of how he lived his life and what he stood for", said Curry.

Steph Curry continued:

"We obviously understand there's a lot of work left to do but we can always go back to the work of Dr. King and any of his word that will keep us motivated and inspired."

The NBA celebrates MLK Day with a bang. Many teams sport special colors or symbols in his honor and some exciting matchups are scheduled for the night. The Atlanta Hawks were especially flamboyant about their MLK Day celebrations as Dr. King was a native of Atlanta, Georgia who grew up in the Auburn Avenue community.

Last season (2020-21), the Hawks' city edition jersey had the letters "MLK" on its chest and the team paid tribute to the Atlanta native every time they stepped foot on the floor wearing that jersey.

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Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors going through an ugly stretch in their season

Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have lost five of their last seven games and no longer look like the league's best team. They were consistently top five on both ends of the floor for the better part of the season, but their offense has now plummeted to the 12th in the league.

Additionally, Klay Thompson hasn't been shooting well and players like Damion Lee and Nemanja Bjelica haven't shown great productivity. The team's rotations are clearly haywire and the more games they play without their talismans Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the worse they'll look.

Steph Curry is going through the worst shooting period of his career. He is shooting less than 50% for the last nine games in a row, the longest such stretch he has endured. He is shooting 35% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc in that span.

Draymond Green is the leading DPOY candidate right now and he will be sidelined for the next two to three weeks. The defensive anchor and playmaking genius on the floor for the Warriors, his absence has been evidently detrimental.

He is arguably the best help-defender in the league and his presence on the floor has led the team to the best defensive rating (102.8).

The Golden State Warriors take on easier opponents like the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets next but then face a series of tough teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz.

They need to execute the "next man up" mentality in their upcoming tough encounters or else they risk falling further down the Western Conference standings.