I was lucky to be a sportswriter for 45 years, and was privileged to see and meet many of the best. By far the greatest -- both literally and figuratively -- was Muhammad Ali, who I interviewed a dozen tmes between 1977-98. George Foreman was a close second in boxing. In hockey, Gordie Howe and Guy Lafleur are at the top of my list, while in baseball it would be Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter. From 2004-20 I was based in Beijing as a columnist for the largest English-language publication in China and usually got the first interview with visiting stars. Dennis Rodman, LeBron James, Tom Brady and Roger Federer were terrific; Jordan not so much.
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