Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden during a ceremony on Saturday at the White House.

The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor and given to those who have “made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House.

Biden bestowed the honor to 19 of the most famous names in politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy and science.

In a biography read during the ceremony, the White House cited Johnson’s on-court success (12-time All-Star, 5-time NBA champion, 3-time MVP) as well as his business empire, his philanthropy with underserved communities and his groundbreaking advocacy around HIV/AIDS.

“With unmatched vision and versatility, Earvin “Magic” Johnson drove the “Showtime” era for the Los Angeles Lakers … Under the same bright lights, his honesty about his HIV status shattered stigma and saved lives. With a legendary will and smile, Magic Johnson rose from the playground in Lansing, Michigan to become one of the most beloved athletes of our time.”

The 6-foot-9 Hall of Famer delivered a big assist during the ceremony, squatting down in front of Biden so the president could place the medal around his neck — a move that drew laughs from the crowd in the East Room.

Johnson flashed a thumbs up sign and the two embraced afterward.

Johnson, 65, said he was “so humbled and overwhelmed with emotion” to be recognized.

“It is an absolute honor and privilege that President Joe Biden selected me for the esteemed Presidential Medal of Freedom award,” Johnson wrote on X Saturday night. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that this kid from Lansing, Mich., would one day grow up and receive one of the highest civilian awards of the United States.”

I am so humbled and overwhelmed with emotion right now. It is an absolute honor and privilege that President Joe Biden selected me for the esteemed Presidential Medal of Freedom award. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that this kid from Lansing, MI would one day… pic.twitter.com/3gFsus16cA

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 4, 2025

Johnson is the sixth former NBA player to receive the nations’ highest civilian honor, joining Bill Russell (2011), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2016), Michael Jordan (2016), Bob Cousy (2019) and Jerry West (2019).

Other recipients of the 2025 medal included chef José Andrés, U2 front man Bono, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, actor Michael J. Fox, software programmer and activist Tim Gill, primatologist Jane Goodall, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, soccer legend Lionel Messi, science educator Bill Nye, investment firm owner David M. Rubenstein, philanthropist George Soros, director George Stevens Jr., actor Denzel Washington and fashion editor Anna Wintour.

Former Secretary of Defense Ashton Baldwin Carter, civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, former attorney general Robert Francis Kennedy and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development George W. Romney were all honored with the award posthumously.

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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.