Time magazine tomorrow will release a special worldwide issue commemorating the life of Muhammad Ali in words and pictures. There will be 26 pages dedicated to Ali. The cover reads, "The Greatest, Muhammad Ali 1942-2016." Time also will be releasing a 112-page soft cover book on Friday for $14.99. Meanwhile, SI's cover this week features Ali under the header, "The Greatest" (THE DAILY).
Ali had a "buoyant personality, a brash self-confidence and an evolving set of personal convictions fostered a magnetism that the ring alone could not contain." He was "as polarizing a superstar as the sports world has ever produced" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/5). President Obama wrote, "Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/4). Pro Football HOFer Jim Brown: "This is (the passing of) an American hero. He pushed the buttons. He stood up for what he believed" (CLEVELAND.com, 6/4). Warriors G Stephen Curry: "Ali was an example of how you use your platform and speak what you believe, no matter what." Cavaliers F LeBron James: "For an athlete like myself today, without Muhammad Ali, I wouldn’t be sitting up here talking in front of you guys" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/5). The New Yorker's David Remnick: "He was a revolutionary in terms of race by standing up for things that a lot of people were not yet standing up for" ("GMA," ABC, 6/4).
Former NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol last year in his own words described the story behind Ali being selected to light the torch for the '96 Atlanta Games.
