Adam Silver, Michele Roberts to tour National Civil Rights Museum

— -- NBA commissioner Adam Silver and National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts will tour the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis as part of a series of weekend events to honor the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.

It is the latest display of the NBA and NBPA's stated commitment to?address issues of social injustice in communities across the country.

"We recognize how special this weekend is for the NBA, and we recognize that Memphis and the National Civil Rights Museum have an incredible story to tell, not just one about history but things that are going on right now in our world," said Kathy Behrens, NBA president of social responsibility and player programs. "We see certainly some division [in the country today], but we also see an opportunity to have a dialogue about race and equality and the values that our game has talked about, not just around MLK weekend, but we have talked frankly about throughout our history.

"The values of equality, diversity, respect, teamwork, they really are the foundation of our game and our growth. So the opportunity to highlight those values, to speak out on them, to bring communities together and to not be afraid to have difficult conversations, those are all the things that our players are thinking about and doing."

On Sunday, Silver and Roberts will join members of the Memphis Grizzlies?and?the Los Angeles Lakers, including Lakers primary owner Jeanie Buss, during a tour of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated.

The Grizzlies will host the weekend's events, which will include an "MLK50: Where Do We Go From Here?" discussion with Memphis'? Mike Conley, the Lakers' Brook Lopez?and?retired WNBA star Swin Cash.?Silver and Roberts will attend the panel.

Before the Lakers-Grizzlies game on Monday, Silver and Roberts will attend an Earl Lloyd Sports Legacy Symposium with former players? James Worthy, Penny Hardaway, Cash and Sam Perkins.

Since LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade stood onstage at the ESPYS in July 2016 and encouraged athletes to become more active to promote social change, ESPN has learned that through Dec. 8, 2017, the NBA and its players and teams organized or participated in 222 programs, events and initiatives spanning 26 cities. There have been more than 40,000 new mentor signups, and more than 10,000 youth and law enforcement officers have been brought together around the country, sources said.

After the ESPYS speech, Silver and Roberts began to discuss how the NBA could help. This past September, they? sent a letter to players offering support for their efforts to build stronger and safer communities. While Colin Kaepernick and several NFL players sparked discussion and action with their protests of racial oppression and inequality during national anthems, Silver and Roberts wanted to find ways for their players and teams to make effective change in communities.

The NBA has held Building Bridges Through Basketball tournaments and various programs to talk about how to break down barriers and forge trust between youth and community leaders and law enforcement. The NBA has also partnered at events with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, MENTOR, RISE and the Vera Institute of Justice in several communities.

In October, the Milwaukee Bucks partnered with the City of Milwaukee, Safe & Sound and the Running Rebels to discuss the relationship between law enforcement and young people in Milwaukee. Bucks players Malcolm Brogdon and Greg Monroe, Mayor Tom Barrett, police chief Ed Flynn, Milwaukee Police Department officers and 10 formerly incarcerated or system-involved youth attended the event.

In the same month, Golden State's Draymond Green and David West joined the City of Oakland and RISE to host a community conversation with 45 high schoolers, law enforcement and local leaders about mentorship, racism and police-community relations.

"I think our guys are going to want to continue being involved in things that have real change associated with them," Behrens told ESPN. "That is the message we have heard from players. They want to be in a position where they can effect real change and be connected to organizations that are doing the good, hard and important work in their communities.

"I think the fight for equality, justice, inclusion, mutual respect and better understanding between cultures and people who disagree and [are] trying to do so respectfully -- this is work that our guys are going to be at for a long time. And they want to be."