Sports Illustrated magazine has chosen Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown and Bill Russell to receive its Muhammad Ali Legacy Award for their athletic careers and social activism.
The Hall-of-Fame trio led notable African-American athletes in support of the late heavyweight great and Louisville native at the so-called “Ali Summit” in Cleveland in 1967. Ali fought induction into the U.S. Army as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War.
Abdul-Jabbar and Brown were among celebrities and dignitaries at Ali’s memorial service following his death in June at age 74.
The men will be honored Dec. 12 in New York. Abdul-Jabbar said Wednesday in a release the award “means I am honoring his legacy as a man who defied conventions and courageously risked life and career to making America a land of freedom, equal opportunity and social justice.”
The award, given since 2008, recognizes sportsmanship, leadership, philanthropy and social justice efforts. It was renamed for Ali last year.
