Muhammad Ali's 9 Children: All About the Boxing Legend's Sons and Daughters

Muhammad Ali had nine kids: Maryum, Rasheda, Jamillah, Muhammad Ali Jr., Khaliah, Miya, Hana, Laila and Asaad Amin

Muhammad Ali's legacy is being maintained by his nine children: Maryum, Rasheda, Jamillah, Muhammad Ali Jr., Khaliah, Miya, Hana, Laila and Asaad Amin.

The record-breaking heavyweight champion, who died in June 2016, was married four times and welcomed his children with five women. Despite their big, blended family, Ali's daughter Miya told LipTalk Podcast in 2022 that the Olympic athlete “made sure that each of us had special attention.”

Hana shared a similar sentiment in her 2018 book, At Home with Muhammad Ali: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Forgiveness. “Although our stories differ, we share the fact that throughout our lives, our father showered us with unconditional love and affection,” she wrote, per The Daily Mail.

The siblings’ lives occasionally intersected. As Hana explained in her book, she and her sister Laila, who were a product of Muhammad’s third marriage to Veronica Porché, spent time with their brothers and sisters growing up. “Every summer, my father brought his children together at our house,” she wrote.

Related: Muhammad Ali: Remembering His Incredible Life on What Would Have Been His 81st Birthday

Ali once spoke about his desire to balance his sport with good parenting. “I tried to be the greatest boxer in the world and a good parent, too,” he said, per Esquire Middle East. “I had instant feedback on my success as a boxer. Often, parents don’t really know if what they are doing is right or wrong until their child is grown and it is too late to change any of the decisions.”

Maryum told the Los Angeles Times in 2016 that her father was able to unite his family once more before his death. “We celebrated his 74th birthday on Jan. 17,” she said. “My sister Rasheda put together a family pictorial slide show of the grandkids and the kids and we were just having fun. That’s such a blessing that his last big family gathering was with everybody at his house. We were just celebrating his birthday, celebrating his life.”

Before his death, Ali shared his admiration for his kids: “Whatever my failings as a parent, I am very proud of all my children," he said, per Esquire Middle East. "It wasn’t easy for them to make their own way with such a controversial and public father.”

Here is everything to know about Muhammad Ali's nine children: Maryum, Rasheda, Jamillah, Muhammad Ali Jr., Khaliah, Miya, Hana, Laila and Asaad Amin.

Maryum “May May” Ali, 56

Ali and his second wife, actress Khalilah Ali (née Belinda Boyd), welcomed their first child, Maryum “May May” Ali, on June 18, 1968.

According to the Los Angeles Times, she remained close to her father as an adult, regularly driving from her home in Los Angeles to visit him in Arizona. “The time he had with us, he was really trying to build up our character,” she said.

Though she began her career as a comedian and rapper, Maryum found her calling in social work, focusing on juvenile delinquency prevention and youth development for more than 15 years.

In the early 2000s, the activist became an advocate for Parkinson’s disease awareness. Ali announced his diagnosis of the illness in 1984. “Once my father began to understand his disease and the family did as well, everyone was happier,” she told PEOPLE in 2016. “This diagnosis doesn’t mean your life is over.”

In 2003, Maryum released a children's book about her father’s life titled I Shook Up the World. She also appeared on a 2016 episode of Family Feud with her siblings Miya, Hana, Laila, and Ali's third wife, Veronica.

Maryum now works as a public speaker, according to her website bio. She credits her late father for shaping her character, telling the Los Angeles Times, “I’m the woman that I am today because of him. I really listened to his lessons. How to be a respectful woman, how not to let men chip away at your esteem, how not to get involved in the dark side of society, in bad habits; stay healthy, watch who your friends are.”

She added: “I loved those kind of conversations about our spirit and about our purpose in life. For me, those were the best moments with my dad.”

Miya Ali

Ali and Patricia Harvell had Miya in 1972.

Growing up, she lived apart from her dad, though he occasionally invited her to his home in L.A., according to Jonathan Eig’s 2017 book Ali: A Life. The boxer also came to visit Miya, making a special trip to her school when her classmates refused to believe he was her father. “That meant more to me than words can explain,” she said.

Miya revealed to WWLTV in 2017 that she struggled with dyslexia growing up and was “bullied” as a child. The experience prompted her to aid in the launch of a national wellness initiative called Dyslexia Diagnosis Day.

In her older years, Miya moved in with Ali in order to attend college in Michigan. “My father was a lot of fun, he was more like a friend,” Miya told LipTalk Podcast in 2022. You could talk to him about whatever. ... I guess that’s why I’m strong.”

The former hotel worker split from her high school sweetheart — “It just didn’t work out, because people grow apart,” she said on the podcast — and she has a son named Michael.

According to her Instagram page, she is a brand ambassador for her younger sister Laila’s brand, Laila Ali Lifestyle.

Rasheda Ali, 53

Ali and Khalilah welcomed twin girls, Rasheda and Jamillah, on Aug. 21, 1970.

Rasheda told The Independent in 2017 that while Ali was traveling for much of her childhood, she was able to get to know her dad better in later years. “Fortunately, as we got older and dad had more time and we were out of college, we were able to spend more time with him,” she said. “We would travel with him and do things that we were not able to do when we were a lot younger and in school.”

Together with Jamillah, Rasheda attended Western Illinois University, where they studied mass communications, per the Chicago Tribune.

Rasheda became a mother herself in 1998 with the birth of a son, Biaggio Ali Walsh, whom she shares with her husband Bob Walsh, and again in 2000, when the couple’s second son, Nico Ali Walsh, was born. Their younger son is a professional boxer while their elder son is an MMA fighter.

Like her big sister Maryum, Rasheda is also an advocate for those with Parkinson’s. In 2005, she published the children’s book I’ll Hold Your Hand So You Won’t Fall: A Child’s Guide to Parkinson’s Disease in an effort to address kids’ most commonly asked questions about the condition.

When Ali died in 2016, Rasheda was at his bedside with Jamillah and posted a sweet tribute to her father on X (formerly Twitter), calling him her closest companion. “The Greatest Man that ever lived,” she wrote. “Daddy my best friend and my hero.”

She also vowed to continue his work, telling Entertainment Tonight, “I promised my dad on the day he died, ‘We will carry on your legacy for loving and giving.’ That's what's important to us right now."

In 2021, Rasheda appeared in a docuseries dedicated to her father simply titled, Muhammad Ali.

Jamillah Ali-Joyce, 53

Along with her twin Rasheda, Ali and Khalilah welcomed Jamillah on Aug. 21, 1970.

Jamillah said in a 2022 interview with radio station WGVU35 that though Ali didn’t live with her, he visited quite often. “When he did, a typical situation with us would be he would love to tote us around, go to restaurants, go to nice places,” she said.

Jamillah also told The Mirror in June 2022, “We loved spending summers [at our dad’s Los Angeles mansion] because his goal was to get all of us [children] together. We all had different mothers. He wanted us to all get to know each other because we lived in different states.”

She explained the effects of this quality time to WGVU35. “To this day, we are close to one another because of him,” Jamillah said.

After attending Western Illinois University with her sister and earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Jamillah tried her hand at acting in 1994 with a role as an officer in Beyond Desire.

Jamillah has worked as a job counselor for the Illinois Secretary of State Employment for over 20 years and also helps to raise funds for several Chicago charities. She lives in the city with her husband, Michael Joyce, and their three children, Nadia, Amira and Jake.

Khaliah Ali, 50

Ali and Wanda Bolton (now known as Aaisha) had Khaliah in June 1974.

She wrote in a proposal for a memoir called Butterflies and Bees: A Woman's Search for Her Father, that she grew up at Ali's training camp in Pennsylvania near her siblings.

“When I was a toddler, we lived for a while in Deer Lake in a cabin right next door to the one occupied by Belinda and her children,” she explained, per The Daily News. “My mother and Belinda actually became quite close and cared for each other’s children.”

Khaliah described Ali as “loving” to NBC News in 2016, saying, “As a kid, I struggled with my weight, but he would perpetually tell me how beautiful I was, how smart I was. He used to call me ‘Madame President.’ " She added, “He was the proudest, lovingest, most doting father in the world.”

The fashion designer and her son Jacob, whom she shares with ex-husband Spencer Wertheimer, were with the boxer in his final hours, according to NBC News. Following her father’s death, Khaliah told the outlet, “He was the greatest. Not just as a public persona ... but as a family man.” She added, “I miss him.”

In August 2023, Khaliah told PEOPLE that she had started dating music executive Jason Flom, whom she met through her son. “I was struck by Khaliah's radiant inner spirit which shined even more brightly than her fabulous physical beauty,” Flom told PEOPLE at the time, adding, “One of her superpowers is caring and her joy comes from making others feel happy, safe and heard.”

Khaliah added of her new beau: “Because we're together, the world is a better place.” The pair then got engaged in June 2024.

"Being with him is the gift that keeps giving, and loving and supporting him makes the world a better place. I am so blessed to wake up every day next to a man who truly deeply makes me happy, feel safe and laugh," she told PEOPLE at the time.

Muhammad Ali Jr.

Ali and Khalilah welcomed their son Muhammad Jr. in 1972.

Growing up with Maryum, Rasheda and Jamillah, Muhammad Jr. told the New York Post in 2014 that he saw his father “all the time” as a child. “He made sure he was there, would get all the siblings together, and never kept us a secret from each other,” he said. “I was proud of my daddy. Fame and fortune meant nothing, I just saw him as my daddy.”

Muhammad Jr. also recalled family trips to Pennsylvania, where his dad had a training camp. “We all went. It was all the family, including my stepsisters Laila and Hana,” he said. “We stayed in log cabins, ride horses, watch him train, jump ropes and eat all the time as a family.”

As for his personal interactions with Ali, Muhammad Jr. told WPTV that they were close. "My relationship with my father was like a brother, brother-type relationship," he said. "We were more than father and son. We could talk about anything."

In January 2023, Muhammad Jr. became the subject of a documentary titled My Father Muhammad Ali: The Untold Story, which chronicled his struggles in adulthood, including drug addiction. “[I wanted to get better] because I want to better my life,” Muhammad Jr., who was pursuing his GED in 2022, later told The Sun.

Though Muhammad Jr. told WPTV he didn’t stay in touch with his dad in his later years, he was at Muhammad’s deathbed when the boxer died in 2016. "I don't care how big you get, how famous you get, daddy was daddy," he said.

In 2023, the younger Muhammad, who told the New York Post that he was bullied as a child, set up the Muhammad Ali Legacy Continues organization to help kids struggling with bullying and to promote anti-racism.

“What I do now is anti-bullying talks,” Muhammad Jr. told Express. “I teach bullied kids how to coun­­ter, by learning self-defense but also by teaching them how to talk instead of fight.”

Muhammad Jr. has three children: Saliah, Ameera and Shakera.

Hana Ali, 48

Ali and his third wife, Veronica, welcomed their daughter Hana on June 15, 1976.

According to Hana’s 2018 book At Home with Muhammad Ali: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Forgiveness, her experience growing up in Fremont, Calif., was a “fairy tale,” if a little chaotic. “I would get home from school to find homeless families sleeping in our guest room,” she wrote, per The Daily Mail. “[My dad] would see them on the street, pile them into his Rolls-Royce and bring them home.”

A self-proclaimed “daddy’s girl,” Hana said she always felt loved by Ali.

“I remember him eating with us every night when he was home, telling me stories until I fell asleep and waking me up with kisses every morning,” she wrote. “I remember him trying to braid my hair before school and walking me there with two uneven ponytails. I was proud of my crooked ponytails."

Hana concluded, “He made me feel as though I was the most special little girl in the world.”

The author previously published several other books focused on her father, including 2003’s The Soul of a Butterfly, which she co-wrote with her dad, and 2000’s More Than a Hero.

According to Hachette Book Group, she is also a freelance writer for CNN.

In addition to her writing, Hana has appeared in several documentaries about her father, including 2013’s The Trials of Muhammad Ali and 2014’s I Am Ali. She lives in L.A. with her husband, mixed martial artist Kevin Casey, according to Harper Collins.

Laila Ali, 46

Ali and Veronica welcomed their daughter Laila on Dec. 30, 1977.

She opened up to Refinery 29 in 2017 about her childhood. “I had nannies; my dad was traveling all the time. You can’t be fighting for the world and be home for dinner with your kids," she said.

To cope with her frustrations, the future entrepreneur got her first job at McDonald’s before starting her first business at 18. “I started my nail salon before I started boxing. It was called Laila’s Nail Studio,” Laila recalled to KTLA in 2022.

Several years later, Laila became a boxer. Ali did not initially support his daughter’s decision to follow in his professional footsteps, with Laila telling PEOPLE in 2022 that her father “wasn’t happy” about it. “He literally tried to talk me out of it," she said. “I said, 'Dad, if I get knocked down, I am going to get back up just like you did.' ”

Despite his misgivings, Ali attended several of Laila’s matches, including her 2001 fight against Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, the daughter of his former rival, Joe Frazier. The boxing star was also scheduled to appear at Laila’s Madison Square Garden debut in 2006.

Laila retired from the sport in 2007 as an undefeated super middleweight and light heavyweight champion. In addition, she earned the respect of her father. “[He told me] he was wrong [about me boxing] and that ... he was proud of me, and that just brought us both to tears," Laila told PEOPLE in 2022.

Ali was also present at Laila’s wedding to her second husband, NFL star Curtis Conway, on July 23, 2007. (She was previously married to Johnny McClain from 2000 to 2005.) Laila and Conway welcomed their son Curtis Muhammad Conway Jr. in 2008. A second baby, Sydney J. Conway, followed in 2011.

In addition to her boxing career, Laila appeared on several television shows over the years: She was revealed to be the panda on The Masked Singer in 2019 and she was featured on Celebrity Wife Swap, Chopped: All-Stars, Home Made Simple and The New Celebrity Apprentice.

Today, Laila runs her own lifestyle brand, Laila Ali Lifestyle.

Asaad Amin Ali

Ali and his fourth wife, Lonnie Ali, adopted son Asaad when he was 5 months old.

Together, they raised Asaad in a small town in Michigan. “We had a farm,” the youngest Ali told the University of Louisville alumni organization. “It was somewhere to get away from everything.”

Asaad attended and played baseball for the southern school and went on to work for the Chicago White Sox before coaching college baseball.

According to his Instagram bio, Asaad is currently a multimedia content producer for the University of Louisville’s athletics department.

Following Ali's 2016 death, Asaad wrote a touching tribute to his late father. “Forever grateful for everything you have ever gave me,” he wrote. “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.”

Asaad has welcomed a daughter and a son with his wife Rachel Ali, whom he met during their freshman year of college.

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