×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Tuesday
27
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 15°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Barack Obama jokes with NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (full ceremony video)

Presidential Medal Freedom Award ceremony

Newsroom November 23 10:01

US president Barack Obama hosted the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Nov. 22 at the White House, awarding the country’s highest civilian honour to luminaries of business, sports, entertainment, activism, and art. Recipients included Bill and Melinda Gates, Tom Hanks, Ellen Degeneres, Robert DeNiro, Frank Gehry, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, and Maya Lin.
But for Obama, a well-documented basketball fan, it could’ve been the attendance of Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who got him the most excited.
The president, standing respectably tall at 6’1”, was still no match for the NBA legend Abdul-Jabbar, who at 7’2” had to bend backwards, making for an awkward reverse bear hug as Obama awarded him his medal.

source: qz,com

Michael Jordan receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at the @whitehouse!

A video posted by NBA (@nba) on Nov 22, 2016 at 3:09pm PST

>Related articles

A 48-year-old was arrested in Piraeus for possession of a 4th-century BC marble antiquity

Ioulia Karapataki to headline Antipodes & Greek Fest at Darling Harbour

Greece–Italy 12–5: Historic bronze medal at the European Water Polo Championship

@kareemabduljabbar_33 receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at the @whitehouse!

A video posted by NBA (@nba) on Nov 22, 2016 at 3:08pm PST

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#award#Barack Obama#ceremony#culture#michael jordan#president#robert de niro#sports#tom hanks#US
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

ESM: Greek bonds among the strong performers of the Eurozone – 15-year low for the spread

January 27, 2026

A 48-year-old was arrested in Piraeus for possession of a 4th-century BC marble antiquity

January 27, 2026

Live from Trikala: Gas leak and oven explosion indicate initial findings on the tragedy at the Violanta factory

January 27, 2026

DEDDIE’s Response to the Municipality of Glyfada: ‘The project is fully lawful and based on approved technical and environmental studies’

January 27, 2026

North Korea launches two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, says Tokyo

January 27, 2026

ALUMIL at the iconic Grand Egyptian Museum – A project of global significance

January 27, 2026

Major EU-India trade deal creates a market of 2 billion citizens: How tariffs fall, which Greek products are affected, see tables

January 27, 2026

Fifth body found after fire at Violanta factory in Trikala

January 27, 2026
All News

> Culture

In Megalopolis, Arcadia, the world’s oldest known wooden tools – see photos

“This area was very important for human evolution throughout Europe,” explains the head of the research, paleoanthropologist Katerina Harvati

January 27, 2026

Greek antiquities held by the company of Robin Symes are being repatriated

January 25, 2026

The Shackled Men of Phaleron: This is what the space that will host the major archaeological find will look like – Photos

January 24, 2026

The dirty side of Pompeii: baths filled with sweat and urine, according to a new study

January 23, 2026

Oscars 2026: Four nominations for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia

January 22, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα