A Day Off In Memphis: Rockets Learning History At National Civil Rights Museum
MEMPHIS — Time away from the Toyota Center gives the Houston Rockets a chance to bond off the court.
And amid their two-game mini-series against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Rockets took a moment to experience a part of American history with a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum.
"We need to keep our history at the forefront of everybody's minds," Coach Stephen Silas said. "We get so much into games and practices and other stuff, it's important for us to look outside of ourselves. I told them, if they got a little bit out of it, that's great. It goes a long way."
The National Civil Rights Museum is located at the former Lorraine Motel — where the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. happened in April 1968. The museum shares the culture and lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement and how it continues to shape equality and freedom.
"Even though it was my second time going there, it hit me hard because there is so much information it was hard to grasp the first time around," Tari Eason said. "We got to go outside and stand in the exact spot where Dr. King was assassinated. That was a surreal moment for me."
Silas orchestrated the visit. He felt it was important for his players to learn about the foundation they stand upon today.
Jabari Smith Jr. said assistant coach John Lucas II shared stories about growing up during the civil rights movement in North Carolina. Smith also revealed that many of the events displayed inside the National Civil Rights Museum were not that long ago, which made the visit more emotional.
"I asked him a few questions," Jae'Sean Tate said. "He was [14] years old when Dr. King died. I tried to put myself in a place where I would have reacted if I was [14] years old. To get his experience on it was awesome."
One of the most emotional moments for the players was experiencing The Montgomery Bus Boycott exhibit, which represents the bus Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person in 1955. And the death of Emmett Till, who sustained a horrific kidnapping and demise in Mississippi in 1955.
"It was kind of harsh to go back and see a part of history they don't talk about anymore," Smith said. "There was a lot of stuff I saw there that I did not know. It was good to go in there and learn some new things.
"It was the not fighting back part that got me. I was big on the 'if I was there, I would not have allowed them to do that to me.' But that was normal. It wasn't wrong. But it was what was going on. It was tough to see."
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