In 2011, then-president Barack Obama bestowed the medal of freedom on Celtics great Bill Russell.
The medal of freedom is an award that by definition goes to “an individual who made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Few professional athletes, of course, have ever made more meritorious contributions to culture through professional sports than Bill Russell, which made his honor in 2011 particularly poignant.
In his comments, Obama noted that people would sometimes approach Russell and ask the trim, 6-foot-9 man whether he was a basketball player.