Asaad Ali, Muhammad Ali’s Adopted Son: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Asaad Ali

Asaad Ali’s passion is baseball. (Facebook)

Asaad Amin Ali is Mohammad Ali’s youngest son. He was adopted by Yolanda “Lonnie” Williams and Muhammad Ali when he was only five months old. Asaad didn’t follow in his dad’s boxing footsteps, but he forged his own path in baseball. (To read about all of Muhammad Ali’s children and see photos of them, please see our story here.)

Here’s what you need to know.


1. Asaad Ali Was Adopted by Muhammad Ali and Lonnie Williams

Asaad Ali

Asaad Ali shared this photo on his Instagram of him and his dad. He has said that he admired his father’s strength of character and how he stayed positive, even while he had Parkinson’s. (Instagram)

Asaad was adopted at five months by Muhammad and his wife, Yolanda “Lonnie” Williams, in 1986. Lonnie’s sister was caring for a friend’s baby who was going into foster care. Muhammad and Lonnie visited her, met baby Asaad, fell in love, and decided to adopt him.


2. He’s Muhammad Ali’s Youngest Child and Never Saw His Dad Box

Asaad Ali 1

Asaad Ali wearing a Muhammad Ali hoodie. (Facebook)

Asaad is the youngest of Muhammad Ali’s nine children. Because of this, he never saw his dad box. In fact, his dad was already beginning to suffer from Parkinson’s when he adopted Asaad. Asaad was born a decade after Muhammad’s last match, according to the Courier-Journal.


3. He Was Drafted by the Angels in 2004 and Is Now a Baseball Coach

While his dad’s love was boxing, Asaad’s was baseball. In 2009, he was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in the 40th round. He was a catcher and, in 1992, led his high school to the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West Division Championship, according to MLB.com. He batted .367 with four doubles, two home runs, and 18 RBIs in 25 games when he was 18. He also played football in high school.

You can watch an interview with Asaad in the video above.

According to his Facebook, he’s an assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for a local college, and an area scout for the Chicago White Sox. His baseball coach profile says that one of his Chicago White Sox recruits was signed in the 29th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.


4. Asaad Ali Admired His Father for How He Handled his Physical Hardships

Asaad never saw his dad box, so his respect for his dad isn’t related to his superstar career, according to the Courier-Journal. Asaad said that more than respecting his dad’s athletic accomplishments, he respected how his dad handled his physical hardships. “He stays with a positive attitude even though he has Parkinson’s… He never complains about it.”


5. Asaad Has Posted Touching Tributes Online to His Dad

After his father passed away, Asaad posted a number of touching tributes online to his dad, including the one on Instagram shown above. He wrote, in part: “You’ve shown me how to love the world in ways I didn’t know possible. You’ve shown me how to be brave and courageous in situations beyond my belief! You’ve taught me so much the last 25 years things that will forever be imprinted in my soul.”

He also posted a sweet photo with his dad when they were younger: