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What: “Gold and Glory: 2 on 2 With Jim Gray.”

Where: ESPN, tonight, 7.

Three former Olympic stars and a current one are featured in this one-hour round-table discussion: Sugar Ray Leonard, Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton join swimmer Michael Phelps. Muhammad Ali also makes an appearance.

The special, with Jim Gray serving as moderator, is called “2 on 2” because it is similar to a show Gray did during the NBA Finals in June. That one featured two retired NBA legends, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, talking with two new NBA stars, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.

Gray, though, is more than the moderator for tonight’s show. He did all the legwork lining up the participants.

Topics include the BALCO drug scandal and the use of performance-enhancing drugs, Olympic security concerns and patriotism. Phelps’ pursuit of eight gold medals is also discussed.

At one point, Ali turns to Phelps and says, “You better win all those medals.”

After Leonard talks about the role Ali played in his life, he and Ali blow kisses at each other and kid around about making comebacks and facing each other in the ring.

Says Ali: “If he even dreams of fighting me, he better apologize.”

Lewis, on the steroid issue and the BALCO investigation, says, “The thing is, we’re in a very awkward situation because we finally have an independent agency handling it. There’s no fox watching the henhouse, like we had in the past.”

Lewis also says, “I have a problem with coaches that have athletes that constantly test positive that are still coaching.”

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-- Larry Stewart