The first in a series of essays examining the past, present and future of a basketball superstar and cultural force.

Kenesaw Mountain Landis takes office as baseball’s commissioner. 1947 — Carl Hubbell, Frank Frisch, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest players of all time. The Basketball Hall of Famer (and Los Angeles Lakers legend) ...

We may witness hockey history this season with Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin coming close to surpassing Wayne Gretzky with the most goals in NHL history. The Russian winger is 21 ...

At 39, Ovechkin is now at 874 NHL goals in 1,455 games. He needs 20 more to match Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894, and 21 to set a new standard. Not even the most serious injury of ...

It’s been known for some time that Ovechkin has a legitimate shot at breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record should he stay healthy and keep up his blistering scoring pace. And even after ...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Isiah Thomas, both NBA legends, have had impressive careers and amassed significant fortunes. Abdul-Jabbar, with a net worth of $25 million, excelled as a player ...

Ovi needs just 22 goals to overtake Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer with 895. Not only is Ovechkin on pace to break the record, he’s also trending to do it ahead of ...

Alex Ovechkin continues to gain ground on Wayne Gretzky in his pursuit of The Great One's all-time scoring record. The 39-year-old netted his 21st goal of the season during overtime on Thursday ...

I love following along in this race. He moves one closer to Wayne Gretzky. Officially at 874 goals, 20 more to tie, 21 more to pass him. Last night, an overtime winner, looking like vintage Alex ...

OTTAWA, Ontario — Alex Ovechkin got one step closer to Wayne Gretzky and made more NHL history on Thursday night. Washington’s legendary No. 8 scored with 1:53 left in overtime to give the ...