Polls conducted by ESPN and the Associated Press named basketball player Michael Jordan respectively first and second greatest North American athlete of the 20th century , and both polls featured fellow basketball players Wilt Chamberlain ( of KU , like Naismith ) and Bill Russell in the Top 20 .
Polls conducted by ESPN and the Associated Press named basketball player Michael Jordan respectively first and second greatest North American athlete of the 20th century , and both polls featured fellow basketballers Wilt Chamberlain ( of KU , like Naismith ) and Bill Russell in the Top 20 .