Rumors

Among those participating in the documentary to place Chamberlain’s life and achievements in context are such figures as Kevin Garnett, Pat Riley, Rick Barry, Bill Walton, Lisa Leslie, Oscar Robertson, Jemele Hill, Jerry West, the late Jim Brown and clinical psychologist Orna Guralnik, among others. The series utilized artificial intelligence to recreate Chamberlain’s voice to narrate his own words, and is further bolstered by archival footage from the Wilt Chamberlain Estate.

deadline.com

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: My sincerest condolences to Monique and the entire Brown family. I am here for you in friendship always & forever. pic.twitter.com/Pz4CDtkLzY

Twitter

Clutch Points: LeBron James pays his respects to the legendary Jim Brown following his passing last night 🧡 (via kingjames/IG) pic.twitter.com/oPdi6IQQNF

Twitter

Todd Boyd has been watching athletes and the entertainment industry for decades. But he sees something different in LeBron James and SpringHill Company, the production entity at the forefront of James’ growing media empire. “I’ve been in Hollywood since Superman was a boy,” said Boyd, a professor at the University of Southern California. For decades, he’s seen athletes get involved in the movie and TV business, typically on-screen. Think NFL great Jim Brown and NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Ray Allen.

Andscape

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: First, there is no passing of the torch. Since this award was named after Muhammad Ali in 2014, the recipients have been Magic Johnson (2014); Jack Nicklaus (2015); Jim Brown, Bill Russell and me (2016); Colin Kaepernick (2017); John Cena (2018); and Warrick Dunn (2019). This award is meant to “celebrate individuals whose dedication to the ideals of sportsmanship has spanned decades and whose career in athletics has directly or indirectly impacted the world.” LeBron certainly checks those boxes. But the reason I’m rejecting the passing-the-torch metaphor is that it suggests that the extraordinary contributions and sacrifices of Jack Nicklaus, John Cena and Warrick Dunn are less torch-worthy because they weren’t focused on the volatile issue of social justice.

Sports Illustrated

Abdul-Jabbar was asked “a lot of great questions” about how he dealt with racial issues while playing basketball during the 1960s and ‘70s, when there was civil unrest around the country. James told Abdul-Jabbar how cool it was to see the picture of a young Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell and other prominent athletes gathered in 1967 in Cleveland with other civil rights activists. The group had come together to support Ali’s position in his refusal to be drafted.

Los Angeles Times

ESPN Stats & Info: Michael Jordan is the only player in NBA history to retire immediately after winning an MVP award OR scoring title. In fact, MJ's the only NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL player to retire immediately after winning an MVP award since Jim Brown did it following the 1965 season #TheLastDance

Twitter

LeBron James has "the utmost respect" of Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown for the way the Cavaliers star handled an act of racism on the eve of the NBA Finals. Brown, known for his support of African-American causes and racial equality, called James "a great human being and great American" after James eloquently addressed a racist slur that had been sprayed on the front gate of his Los Angeles home.

ESPN

Brown seemed every bit as touched Wednesday listening to James speak the day before he and the Cavs played Golden State in the Finals for the third year in a row. "LeBron James is a great human being and great American," Brown said. "What he has done for his sport and the teamwork he shows is unparalleled. His community work is tremendously effective and impactful. "He's a tremendous example of how a man should carry himself on and off the court."

ESPN

On Thursday, Kobe Byrant responded to comments from NFL legend Jim Brown, who said Bryant was “confused” about African-American culture “because he was raised in another country.” Brown made the remarks in an appearance on the Arsenio Hall Show. Here’s the full quote, from Sports Grid: “He’s somewhat confused about our culture. Because he was brought up in another country…If I had to invite people to that [black athlete] summit all over,” Brown said, referring to a summit held in the early 70s regarding Muhammed Ali’s refusal to fight in the Vietnam War, “there’d be some athletes I wouldn’t call. He’d be one of them.”

For The Win

Kobe Bryant: A "Global" African American is an inferior shade to "American" African Americans?? #hmm.. that doesn't sound very #Mandela or #DrKing sir.

Twitter