NBA legends Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar along with iconic Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
The announcement was made official on Wednesday. The medals will be awarded in a ceremony Tuesday at the White House and streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live.
The Medal of Freedom is the country's ultimate honor bestowed to a civilian by the president. This unique medal is awarded to individuals who have made a significant cultural or security contributions to the United States or international contributions in the name of culture or world peace.
Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls, and five Most Valuable Player awards during his 15 seasons. He was a 14-time All-Star and currently the majority owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets.
Abdul-Jabbar won three NCAA championships at UCLA and six during his long tenure in the NBA — one of them with the Milwaukee Bucks and the other five with the Los Angeles Lakers. After his playing career, Abdul-Jabbar has been a social activist and writer for a number of publications.
Scully recently retired from a 67-year career as a broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, his voice and commentary style is among the most recognized in the game for fans of all walks of life.
When Scully was called to be informed of the formal announcement, his reaction was as authentic as it's ever been.
“Oh my gosh … no. Are you sure?” Scully said. “I'm just an old baseball announcer.”
Told that his professionalism as an announcer captured the president's attention, Scully said. “Well, gosh, I am rather overwhelmed and humbled.”
This will likely be one of the last honors President Obama hands out in the last two months of his presidency.
Obama is seriously trying to meet his entire bucket list before January 20 https://t.co/6somSHXBLJ
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) November 16, 2016
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