I live and work (as a sportswriter) in China, where the NBA reigns supreme and Jordan is still phenomenally popular. That said, MJ's appeal doesn't hold a candle to Ali's in the world's most populous nation. People here -- all age groups, from middle school kids to octagenarians -- recognize Jordan as a great athlete, but that's it. Ali, as he did in so many other corners of the globe, struck a chord with the Chinese as both a great athlete and as a great human being, whose imapact outside the ring was even more impressive than what he accomplished as a boxer. That's not likely to change -- here, or anywhere else on the planet. For my money, Ali will always be No 1 in global terms, with Pele, Jordan and Tiger Woods also in the conversation. Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky barely register on the scale, outside North America. BTW: As a Canadian, I feel confident in predicting that no hockey jersey -- not Gretzky's rookie, not Orr's, not Gordie Howe's -- will ever sell for more than the $1.3 million it took four years ago to acquire Paul Henderson's 1972 Team Canada jersey from the fabled "Summit Series" against the USSR.
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