Leading Off
December 13, 1999
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, plus the portraits on the following pages. 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, Pel�, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jack Nicklaus, Carl Lewis, Monica Seles, Wayne Gretzky. Front: Joe Montana
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, plus the portraits on the following pages. 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, Pel�, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jack Nicklaus, Carl Lewis, Monica Seles, Wayne Gretzky. Front: Joe Montana
SPORTSMAN OF THE CENTURY
Muhammad Ali
BASEBALL ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY
Babe Ruth
FOOTBALL ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY
Jim Brown
BASKETBALL ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY
Michael Jordan
HOCKEY ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY
Wayne Gretzky
U.S. OLYMPIAN OF THE CENTURY
Carl Lewis
INDIVIDUAL SPORT, WOMEN
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
INDIVIDUAL SPORT, MEN
Jack Nicklaus