President Barack Obama on Wednesday named the 21 people who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year. Two of them come from the ranks of NBA royalty.
Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will receive the nation’s highest civilian honor, “presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” in a ceremony at the White House on Nov. 22.
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom is not just our nation’s highest civilian honor — it’s a tribute to the idea that all of us, no matter where we come from, have the opportunity to change this country for the better,” Obama said in a White House statement.