“I may be 7’2″ but I never felt taller than when standing in his shadow.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar paid tribute to his “friend and mentor” Muhammad Ali following the three-time world heavyweight champion’s passing on Friday at the age of 74.
The former NBA star remembered the boxing legend hours after his death in a heartfelt Facebook post, in which he highlighted Ali’s impact on sports fans, athletes, the Muslim and African-American communities and “all Americans.”
To sports fans he was an unparalleled champion of the world, faster and smarter than any heavyweight before. To athletes, he was a model of physical perfection and shrewd business acumen,” Abdul-Jabbar penned. “To the Muslim community, he was a pious pioneer testing America’s purported religious tolerance. To the African-American community, he was a black man who faced overwhelming bigotry the way he faced every opponent in the ring: fearlessly.”
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