IS THE WORLD LOST A TRUE ICON, MUHAMMAD ALI.

HE WAS ONE OVER THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF THE 20TH

CENTURY AND ONE OF THE MOST DOMINANT ATHLETES IN THE HISTORY

OF SPORTS.

DURING THE 1960 OLYMPICS, AT AGE 18, HE WON THE GOLD OLYMPICS

MEDAL FOR THE U.S. BOXING TEAM, AND IN 1964, HE BECAME

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, UPSETTING SONNY LISTON,

THE 7-TO-1 FAVORITE.

WOW.

7-TO-1 ODDS.

HE WAS TRULY THE BERNIE SANDERS OF HIS TIME.

LAUGH A LAUGH (APPLAUSE)

BACK THEN, AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE EXPECTED TO BE DEFERENTIAL

IN PUBLIC, BUT HERE'S YOUNG CASSIUS CLAY RIGHT AFTER THAT

FIGHT.

>> I AM THE GREATEST.

I DON'T HAVE A MARK ON MY FACE AND I UPSET SONNY LISTON AND I

JUST TURNED 22 YEARS OLD.

I MUST BE THE GREATEST.

I TOLD THE WORLD.

I SHOOK UP THE WORLD, I SHOOK UP THE WORLD, I SHOOK UP THE WORLD!

>> STEPHEN: THAT TYPE OF OUTRAGEOUS BRAGGING PAVED THE

WAY FOR SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR.

(LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE)

ALI PAID A HIGH PRICE FOR HIS BELIEFS.

HE WAS STRIPPED OF HIS TITLE AND BANNED FROM BOXING AFTER HE

REFUSED TO FIGHT IN VIETNAM.

HIS BAN WAS EVENTUALLY OVERTURNED BY THE SUPREME COURT,

AND ALI WENT ON TO WIN THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE THREE

TIMES AND FOUGHT IN SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS BOXING MATCHES OF

ALL TIME: THE "RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE," THE "THRILLA IN

MANILA," AND THE LESS SUCCESSFUL "ADEQUATE IN CONNECTICUT."

(LAUGHTER) AND HE DIDN'T JUST CHANGE

BOXING, HE CHANGED TRASH TALK.

HE TURNED IT INTO PERFORMANCE ART.

"I FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE."

JUST LAST WEEK, I MURDERED A ROCK, INJURED A STONE,

HOSPITALIZED A BRICK.

I'M SO MEAN, I MAKE MEDICINE SICK."

"JOE FRAZIER IS SO UGLY THAT WHEN HE CRIES, THE TEARS TURN

AROUND AND GO DOWN THE BACK OF HIS HEAD."

THAT'S COLD.

THE CHAMP APPEARED ON LATE NIGHT SHOWS, SITCOMS, AND COMMERCIALS

AND EVEN IN THE COMIC BOOK "SUPERMAN VS MUHAMMAD ALI!" --

ALTHOUGH THE MOVIE VERSION FLOPPED WHEN BEN AFFLECK WAS

CAST AS MUHAMMAD ALI.

(LAUGHTER) NOTHING SUMS UP THE DEFIANT,

CULTURE-CHANGING SPIRIT OF ALI LIKE WHEN HE SAID:

"I AM AMERICA.

I AM THE PART YOU WON'T RECOGNIZE.

BUT GET USED TO ME.

BLACK, CONFIDENT, COCKY; MY NAME, NOT YOURS; MY RELIGION,

NOT YOURS; MY GOALS, MY OWN; GET USED TO ME."

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) HE HELPED CREATE THE AMERICA WE

LIVE IN TODAY-- AND I MEAN THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT AMERICA, NOT

THAT WHOPPERITO THING.

(LAUGHTER) JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS

MUHAMMAD ALI'S LEGACY IS A HALL OF FAME BASKETBALL PLAYER AND

SIX-TIME NBA CHAMPION WHO WAS A FRIEND OF ALI'S AS WELL AS A

FELLOW CONVERT TO ISLAM.

PLEASE WELCOME, KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> NICE TO BE WITH YOU.

>> Stephen: I'M SORRY ABOUT THE LOSS OF YOUR FRIEND MUHAMMAD

ALI.

HOW DID THE TWO OF YOU GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER?

>> I RAN INTO ALI AT A PARTY HERE.

I WAS A FRESHMAN AT U.C.L.A., AND I WENT TO A PARTY, AND ALI

WAS THERE.

THERE WAS A LITTLE BAND THERE, AND I WAS FOOLING AROUND WITH

THE DRUMS, AND JUST GOOFING AROUND, AND MUHAMMAD ALI AND HIS

PHOTOGRAPHER CAME UP.

SO HE PICKED UP THE GUITAR AND STARTED ACTING LIKE HE WAS

PLAYING THE GUITAR.

I ACTED LIKE I WAS PLAYING THE DRUMS.

>> Stephen: ALI WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOTH CULTURAL AND

POLITICAL FIGURES OF THE 20t 20th CENTURY.

WHY WAS HE IMPORTANT TO YOU?

>> MY DAD BOXED, SO, YOU KNOW, BOXING WAS A BIG SPORT FOR ME

WHEN I WAS A KID AND KNEW THAT THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP WAS

SOMEBODY TO BE RESPECTED.

HE HANDLED ALL THAT.

ON TOP OF THAT, HE HANDLED A WHOLE LOT OF ISSUES THAT HAD

NOTHING TO DO WITH SPORTS, YOU KNOW, CIVIL RIGHTS AND HUMAN

RIGHTS ISSUES.

>> Stephen: AS A CHAMPION YOURSELF, TALK TO ME A LITTLE

BIT LIKE WHAT HIS GAME WAS LIKE BEFORE THE CONTEST STARTED, THE

WAY HE PSYCHED OUT HIS OPPONENTS AND USED THE MENTAL GAME AGAINST

THE PEOPLE HE WAS ABOUT TO BOX.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY GOT TO ME AND MADE ME TOTALLY

THINK HE WAS INCREDIBLE WAS THE WAY, LIKE, WHEN HE WENT TO SONNY

LISTON'S CAMP WHERE HE WAS TRAINING AND STARTED HECKLING

HIM WHILE HE WAS TRYING TO TRAIN.

SONNY LISTON CAME OUT AND TRIED TO CATCH HIM AND START A FISCAL

CONFLICT RIGHT THERE.

ALI TOTALLY GOT INTO THE GUY'S HEAD, AND HE DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE

IT IN HIS REACTION.

HE SAID, I'LL KILL HIM!

YOU KNOW, AND, OF COURSE, ALI WENT OUT THERE AND EMBARRASSED

SONNY LISTON.

THAT WAS THE TYPE OF GUY HE WAS.

YOU HAD TO LOVE HIM FOR THAT.

>> Stephen: YOUR DAD WAS A BOXER.

YOU TRAINED WITH BRUCE LEE.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: DO YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE GONE FIVE ROUNDS WITH

MUHAMMAD ALI?

YOU'VE GOT THE REACH, TALE OF THE TAPE IS ON YOUR SIDE.

>> WOULDN'T WANT TO DO THAT.

HE WAS MY BROTHER AND MY FRIEND.

WILT WANTED TO BOX HIM.

>> Stephen: WILT CHAMBERLAIN DID?

>> YEAH, HE WAS DREAMING.

HE WOKE UP AND WAS DREAMING HE WAS GOING TO BOX MUHAMMAD ALI.

(LAUGHTER) BUT THAT'S WHERE EGO WILL GET

YA.

>> Stephen: IS THERE ANYTHING PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR

FRIEND THAT THEY SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW?

>> HIS UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT INTEGRITY WAS ALL ABOUT WAS

REMARKABLE AND IT'S AN EXAMPLE FOR US TO REPEAT FOR OUR KIDS

AND GRANDKIDS BECAUSE IT WAS THE REAL DEAL.

>> Stephen: KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR, EVERYBODY.