*Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown and Bill Russell will be honored at SI‘s Sportsperson of the Year event on Dec. 12. All three sports legends, who have battled racial inequality for decades, are being honored with the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award for their athletic achievements as well as their social activism, People.com reports.
Ali’s wife congratulated the three icons on winning the award, which celebrates the achievements of athletes who have used their platforms to inspire social change, per Essence.
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“Muhammad Ali was both a friend and a personal inspiration to me as an athlete and as an activist,” Abdul-Jabbar said in a statement. “To receive an award in his name is especially moving because it 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.”
Hall of Famer Jim Brown hopes the honor will inspire others to follow in his footsteps.
“I am deeply touched to be honored for a lifetime spent working to establish common ground and mutual respect for all perspectives and backgrounds,” Brown said. “I hope that this tribute serves as a symbol of inspiration for all Americans to be champions of social justice. This is a proud moment for me, and I am thrilled to be recognized alongside two other transformative athletes with whom I share a long history of activism and friendship, and for whom I have great respect.”
Sports Illustrated Group editor in chief Chris Stone said: “In 2016, we learned that the consequences of speaking out on hard issues were often painful ones, but also how deeply athletes can impact and advance the conversation on those same, hard issues. Jim Brown, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all recognized, and acted on this in a far harder time in America.”
He added: “That was the example of their friend, Muhammad Ali, and the torch they’ve carried for the more than a half-century.”
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