Hours before the death of boxing great and sports legend Muhammad Ali, ESPN spoke with LeBron James on what made Ali such a transcendent figure. As word spread Friday that Ali had been hospitalized in Arizona, the Cavaliers star reflected on what made him so important not just to fans, but athletes as well.
"The reason why he's the GOAT is not because of what he did in the ring, which was unbelievable," James said, referring to the acronym commonly attached to Ali, which stands for "greatest of all time."
"It's what he did outside of the ring, what he believed in, what he stood for, along with Jim Brown and Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor -- obviously who became Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] -- Bill Russell, Jackie Robinson. Those guys stood for something. He's part of the reason why African-Americans today can do what we do in the sports world. We're free. They allow us to have access to anything we want. It's because of what they stood for, and Muhammad Ali was definitely the pioneer for that."
"People forget what you did as a professional," James said. "People forget the championships and all the other things you were able to accomplish. But they will never forget how you made them feel. That's a Maya Angelou quote, but I'll transcend that into what Muhammad Ali was able to do. So it's very important."
Much of the NBA community joined in the public mourning of one of sports' greatest athletes.
Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement Friday night:
"Muhammad Ali transcended sports with his outsized personality and dedication to civil rights and social justice. He was an inspirational presence at several major NBA events and was deeply admired by so many throughout the league. While we are deeply saddened by his loss, Muhammad Ali's legacy lives on in every athlete who takes a stand for what he or she believes."
R.I.P CHAMP🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/ZJEXfVisS4
— Devin Booker (@DevinBook) June 4, 2016
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) June 4, 2016
R.I.P. To The Legend Himself...
— Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) June 4, 2016
Muhammad Ali
Had a huge influence on my childhood
RiP to the one and only Muhammad Ali, simply the best...
— Vince Carter (@mrvincecarter15) June 4, 2016
Prayers 🙏🏾 up to his family and friends
RIP Muhammad Ali ! All my prayers and thoughts to his family. #TheGreatest 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/vRoqbpAEvy
— Tony Parker (@tonyparker) June 4, 2016
One thing I learned from Ali is that no matter what people say about you no matter what people try to hold you to YOU determine your outcome
— Archie Goodwin (@A1Laflare10) June 4, 2016
The greatest may be gone from public life but his spirit should live forever in our social consciousness............RIP Muhammad Ali💪🏽🏆
— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) June 4, 2016
RIP to my favorite athlete of all time 😢 pic.twitter.com/Oinpk1ImgZ
— Michael Carter-Willi (@MCW1) June 4, 2016