Michael Jordan was hailed as the greatest basketball player ever on his 49th birthday by LeBron James and Magic Johnson. LeBron called Jordan the GOAT on Twitter, while Magic said Jordan had a higher will and talent level than anyone else, and was the ultimate competitor who wanted to win more than anyone. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s. A gala in Las Vegas honored Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday and raised funds for neurological disease research, with performances by celebrities like David Beckham, Anthony Hopkins, and Stevie Wonder paying tribute to Ali.

1. Jordan Is
Greatest Ever
CHICAGO (AFP) - Retired NBA
legend Michael Jordan was hailed
as the greatest player in basketball
history by two potential rivals to the
throne on Friday as he celebrated
his 49th birthday.
As the NBA currently salutes
Jeremy Lin, the first US-born NBA
player of Taiwanese and Chinese
heritage who has gone from bench-
warmer to star for the New York
Knicks, Jordan's legendary career
was recalled by other icons.
LeBron James, the Miami Heat star
still searching for his first title after
two losing trips to the NBA Finals,
posted a Twitter message calling
Jordan The G.O.A.T., for Greatest
of All Time.
"Happy B-day to the person I
idolized and wanna to be just like
as a kid playing the game of
basketball Michael Jordan.
#TheG.O.A.T." James tweeted.
Magic Johnson, the former Los
Angeles Lakers star who now
serves as a television commentator,
praised Jordan in comments for
ESPN.
"His will to win was higher than
everyone else's," Johnson said of
Jordan. "His talent level was higher
than everyone else's and then he
was the ultimate competitor. He
wanted to win more than anybody
else I've ever faced in my life.
"Michael Jordan, happy birthday -
you know you were the world's
greatest."
Jordan guided the Chicago Bulls to
six NBA crowns in the 1990s,
winning three in a row before
retiring at age 30 in 1993 to attempt
an ill-fated career in baseball.
Ali's life to be
honored in
Vegas by
celebrities
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Muhammad
Ali had seven prizefights in Las
Vegas, with his two losses there
coming in the twilight of his
legendary career. Now, dozens of
heavyweight celebrities are back in
Sin City to laud a lifetime in the
spotlight and join the icon known as
"The Greatest" in fighting
neurological diseases.
Roughly 2,000 people were
expected to attend a swanky gala to
celebrate Ali's 70th birthday on
Saturday night at the MGM Grand
in Las Vegas, the site of most of
boxing's major fights the past 20
years. Ali turned 70 last month, and
had another celebration and
fundraiser then in his home state of
Kentucky.
One of Ali's daughters, Rasheda Ali,
says the gala is a chance for
friends, family and A-listers who
look up to her father to show their
respect for his life and legacy as a
humanitarian. In return, she says
he'll be honored to see them there.
"He has not left that need to help
others," Rasheda Ali told The
Associated Press. "That's one of
his core values — his charity and
his giving."
The gala starting at $1,500 per
plate is expected to draw some of
the biggest names in entertainment
and sports — including David
Beckham, Anthony
Hopkins, Samuel L.
Jacksonand Stevie Wonder, among
others. They're planning
performances and tributes to a
fighter who went 56-5 in the ring
with 37 knockouts and became
perhaps the most famous athlete
ever because of his personality and
willingness to publicly stand up for
his beliefs.
Ali has lived with Parkinson's
disease for nearly 30 years, a
degenerative brain condition that
some doctors say can be brought
on by punches to the head.
The gala will raise fund for
the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo
Center for Brain Health and
theMuhammad Ali Center in
Louisville, Ky., a cultural attraction
that celebrates Ali's life and pushes
educational goals on a wide range
of topics for adults and children.
Larry Ruvo, chairman of the clinic's
fundraising arm, Keep Memory
Alive, said he's not sure whether
the fundraiser will exceed its record
of $27 million, but he hopes so.
ABC and ESPN plan to air the gala
on Feb. 25.