New Britain, CT (January 22, 2026) – On Monday, January 19, the Connecticut Sun celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day in New Britain, Connecticut at St. Matthew’s Lutheran School. From 2:00pm-4:30pm, the Sun hosted 50 youth from grades 4-8 for a free basketball clinic led by Sun Academy coaches.

“[Today] we honored Martin Luther King Jr. with the Connecticut Sun and did a basketball academy. I hoped to get better at basketball with ball handling and shooting. For the holiday, it was an honor to do projects and learn facts about him [Martin Luther King Jr.],” said Christopher, a youth participant, when asked about the clinic.

As attendees shot around on the court, Sun mascot Blaze and CT Sun community council members interacted with attendees as they checked in for the clinic and received a free t-shirt. Connecticut Sun Director of Community Relations Shamare Holmes tipped off the event by starting a community conversation and asking the group to reflect on their dreams and the holiday. She then asked the youth trivia questions about Martin Luther King Jr. prior to Sun employees and community council members offering words of encouragement to the 4^th-8^th graders. After the community circle, the clinic began with the youth learning various dribbling and shooting drills, ending the session playing five-on-five and doing various contests. Upon the conclusion of the event, attendees were fed pizza and went home with a CT Sun goody bag.

The Sun partnered with the City of New Britain, New Britain Legacies, and CT MLK Legacies Corp to execute this event. New Britain Legacies Youth Development & Basketball serves youth and families of color within the community through recreation, socialization, business, and tech. This organization just received a $1 million grant to revitalize a property in the name of Martin Luther King Jr. CT MLK Legacies Corp aims to utilize statewide initiatives to build youth and education centers, expand housing and homeownership opportunities, and drive economic development.

“Today meant a lot just knowing how much sacrifice Dr. King and the individuals around him made. It’s about coming here and being thankful and grateful that we’re able to do all the things that we love every single day, like coming together playing basketball and coming together as a community. Forty to fifty years ago, the landscape was different. We couldn’t really do this at our leisure, so it means a lot. It means a lot to be able to come here and be around community and be around the kids and have fun while also not losing sight of the dream and everything it took to get to this point,” said Sun Academy Coach Biko Gayman.

The Connecticut Sun also celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford to support the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission. From 10am-12pm, special guests including Governor Ned Lamont, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut General Assembly senators, constitutional officers, mayors and other dignitaries across the state attended the annual bell ringing ceremony to commemorate the 97^th birthday of Dr. King and the 40^th anniversary of the holiday. The featured guest speaker was Dr. Jeffrey Hines, Vice President of the Office for Inclusion and Civil Rights at the University of Connecticut, and a musical tribute was played prior to Senator Blumenthal ringing the bell. The Commission was established in 1986 and advances Dr. King’s legacy statewide by promoting the principles he championed and sustaining programs that keep his dreams alive for future generations.

Established in 2003, the Connecticut Sun is a professional women’s basketball team in the Women’s National Basketball Association that takes residence at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. For more information on the team’s community events and initiatives visit https://sun.wnba.com/community. To purchase season tickets, visit www.connecticutsun.com or call 1-877-SUN-TIXX.

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