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SI honors world's greatest athletes

Backstage, following Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards show last Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, 19 of the attending athletes sat for SI photographer Walter Iooss Jr. as he took this historic picture. Last row from left: Bob Beamon, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Billie Jean King, Evander Holyfield, Chris Evert, John Elway, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods. Second row: Pete Sampras, Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, Pele, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jack Nicklaus, Carl Lewis, Monica Seles, Wayne Gretzky. Front: Joe Montana Walter Iooss Jr.

The biggest names in sports gathered in New York's Madison Square Garden on Dec. 2, 1999, for Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards. The festivities began with a list of 42 nominees in seven categories, with one winner selected from each group. The first award of the night, for the century's greatest football player, went to Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown. The last, for the SI Sportsman of the Century, went to the great Muhammad Ali. The envelope, please ... Closer Look: The best in awe of the best Notebook: Trump works the room Roster of nominees Nominee Profiles Baseball | Basketball Football | Hockey | Olympians Individual Men | Individual Women The Night in Pictures Some of the world's greatest athletes were on hand for Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards show. CNNSI.com had a camera at Madison Square Garden and captured some of celebrities backstage. Here's your chance to relive the century's greatest evening in sports. Photo Gallery

The audience gave Ali a standing ovation, and once again the champ electrified the Garden with a short, emotional speech. CNN/SI SI Flashbacks Ali: 'Bigger than Boxing' by William Nack Brown: The Brown of Browns by Richard Hoffer Didrikson Zaharias: Farewell to the Babe by Paul Gallico Gretzky: No fuss neccessary in Wayne's World by Rick Reilly Jordan: The Online Collection Lewis: Fourth and Long by Tim Layden; Day 12 of the 1996 Olympics Nicklaus: You're All Right, Jack by Dan Jenkins Ruth: It's Back to the Bambino by Leigh Montville

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