MLB officially retired Robinson's No. 42 jersey across the sport in 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his big league debut. Griffey was given permission to don the number for the Seattle Mariners, flipping from his usual No. 24, for a game against Cleveland on April 15, 1997.

Abdul-Jabbar told stories about becoming a Brooklyn Dodger fan at a young age because of Robinson and getting to meet him later in life. “Jack always had the idea that he was an equal human being