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Martin Luther King Jr. Day has long been a special holiday for Spurs guard Derrick White and his family in Colorado.

“My dad is black, my mom is white, so without Martin Luther King and people that fought for (civil rights and social justice), that never would have happened,” White said.

Because of practice Monday morning, the Spurs were unable to participate in the annual march honoring the slain civil rights icon on the East Side. But their thoughts were on his legacy.

“Growing up, learning his speeches, understanding how it was years ago, the power, the togetherness, the strength that one man brought to this nation, to this world, and still carries on to this day is definitely awesome,” DeMar DeRozan said. “For me to live that and play a part in that and continue to grow from something (King) started is definitely amazing....”

This year’s holiday is especially meaningful for the Spurs after they visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, site of King’s assassination in 1968, during their trip to Memphis earlier this month....

“To stand in the actual spot where Martin Luther King was killed … just that whole experience, man, was by far one of the highlights of my life,” DeRozan said.

White called the museum tour “very powerful” and “one of the best experiences of my life.”

“Everyone should go,” he said.

Patty Mills said seeing the site of King’s assassination was “very powerful” but that the same was true of the museum’s 23 other exhibits.

“They make your hair stand up,” he said.