Inside The Relationship Between Bill Russell And Muhammad Ali

Amid the controversy surrounding Muhammad Ali, a group of prominent African American athletes from multiple sports met in Cleveland, Ohio. This group included NFL player Jim Brown, Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareen Abdul-Jabbar), Bill Russell, and Ali himself. The goals of this meeting — referred to as The Cleveland Summit — have been somewhat misreported, as explained by Jonathan Eig of Andscape. Eig explains that Brown worked with Main Bout, a company that owned closed-circuit television rights for Ali's boxing matches. Brown wanted the group of black athletes to persuade Ali to get back in the ring. Financial gains from the matches would go to those at the meeting. An overarching goal for Brown was also "black economic empowerment," as stated by Eig. However, the media took the meeting as a message of support for Ali's draft decision.

Regardless, such a goal aligned well with Ali and those present at The Cleveland Summit. It was also not the only time that Ali crossed paths with fellow athletes who doubled as activists, including Russell.

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