Topeka ? Former Kansas University basketball star Wayne Simien will deliver the keynote speech Thursday during ceremonies at the Kansas Statehouse marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Simien, who played for KU from 2001 to 2005, was named an All-American his junior and senior years and was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Year his senior year. He was selected as a first-round draft pick in 2005 and played for the Miami Heat when they won the NBA title in 2006.

He now works as the KU campus director for Called to Greatness, a Christian student organization.

The ceremonies in Topeka begin at 11:45 a.m. with a symbolic march across 10th Street from the Kansas Judicial Center to the Statehouse led by the Highland Park High School ROTC and Drumline. That will be followed by ceremonies in the second floor rotunda beginning around noon.

In addition to Simien, other speakers will include Gov. Sam Brownback; Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita; Rep. Roderick Henderson, D-Kansas City; and members of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission.

Parking for those participating in the march is available in the Kansas Judicial Center visitors lot, south of the Kansas State Capitol on 10th Street.