The “Barrier Breakers” film pairs audio of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s monumental “I Have A Dream” speech with black & white footage of iconic “firsts” from the National Basketball Association’s storied history of racial and cultural breakthroughs.

It begins with the 1950 signing of Chuck Cooper, the NBA’s first African-American player. It goes on to commemorate other celebrated figures and moments from the league’s politically progressive past—from the signing of Bill Russell, the NBA’s first African American coach, to Violet Palmer, the first female referee in men’s professional sports, to Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player. As we see Phil Knight and Michael Jordan embrace, and Yao Ming greet a young admirer, we hear MLK’s famous dream for his children, that one day they will “live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“Barrier Breakers” takes viewers on a journey through some of the most significant basketball moments of the past 60 years, celebrating the ways in which the NBA has reflected and inspired many of the strides our nation has taken toward building a more open and tolerant society.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so when it came time to create our very first campaign for the National Basketball Association, we knew we needed something unforgettable. “Barrier Breakers” is just that—a powerful broadcast spot for the 2014-2015 season that pairs audio of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s monumental “I Have A Dream” speech with black & white footage of iconic “firsts” from the NBA’s storied history of racial and cultural breakthroughs. The spot debuted just after what would have been King’s 86th birthday.