原文：

In Memoriam of Muhammad Ali

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

During my more than 50 years in the public eye, I have met hundreds of renowned celebrities, artists, athletes, and world leaders. But only a handful embodied the self-sacrificing and heroic qualities that defined my friend and mentor, Muhammad Ali. A master of self-promotion, he declared early in his boxing career, I am the greatest! This kind of boasting enraged many people, just as he’d hoped, ensuring a large audience that just wanted to see this upstart boy taught a lesson.

But it was Muhammad who taught the lesson because, as he once said, It’s not bragging if you can back it up. And back it up, he did. Again and again. And not just in the ring. Part of Muhammad’s greatness was his ability to be different things to

different people. 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. To the anti-establishment youth of the 1960s, he was a defiant voice against the Vietnam War and the draft. 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. At a time when blacks who spoke up about injustice were labeled  and often arrested under one pretext or another, Muhammad willingly sacrificed the best years of his career to stand tall and fight for what he believed was right. In doing so, he made all Americans, black and white, stand taller. I may be 7’2" but I never felt taller than when standing in his shadow.

Today we bow our heads at the loss of a man who did so much for America. Tomorrow we will raise our heads again remembering that his bravery, his outspokenness, and his sacrifice for the sake of his community and country lives on in the best part of each of us.

译文（from 虎扑体育）

我进入公众的视线已经超过50年了，在这50多年中，我遇到过无数世界级的名人，其中有艺术家、运动员，也有世界领袖。但是，在其中只有少数人和我的朋友、导师——穆罕默德-阿里一样，拥有着自我牺牲和英雄主义的品质。

他非常善于自我鼓励。在他拳击生涯的早期，他就向众人宣言：我是最伟大的！如他所愿，他的宣言引来了众人的关注，许多观众来看他的比赛只有一个原因：他们想看这个自命不凡的年轻人被别人教上一课。但是最后，是穆罕默德给别人上了一课，因为他曾经说过：只要你能完成你所说的话，那就不算是吹牛。他的确做到了这一点，一次又一次。

穆罕默德的伟大不仅仅是在拳击上。对于不同的人来说，他有着不同的意义，这也正是他的伟大所在。对于体育迷来说，他是举世无双的世界冠军，他比所有的重量级拳击手都要快，也更聪明。对于运动员来说，他有着完美的身体，也有着精明的商业头脑。对于20世纪60年代反建制的年轻人来说，他是反对越南战争和征兵制度的强有力声音。对于穆斯林社区来说，他是一名虔诚的先驱，对美国传说中的宗教容忍进行了测试。对于非裔美国人社区来说，他在面对激进偏见时和在拳击台上一样无畏。

在那个年代，提起不平等的黑人都会被贴上自命不凡的标签，然后被政府以各种借口逮捕。穆罕默德站了出来，心甘情愿地牺牲了他生涯中最好的时光，为他心中的正义而奋斗。他的所作所为让所有的美国人形象变得更为高大起来。虽然我的身高足有7英尺2英寸，但是当我站在他的影子里时，我从未觉得我比他要高大。

今日，我们向他鞠躬致敬，因为他为美国做出了如此之多的贡献。明日，我们会挺直身板，牢记他的勇敢，他的敢于直言，以及他为社区、为国家人民所做出的一切。正是他的牺牲造就了最好的我们。