Barack Obama comedically presents Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Presidential Medals of Freedom

President Barack Obama struggles to present Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his Presidential Medal of Freedom. (AP)

Among the list of 21 esteemed Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients on Tuesday were a pair of Pro Basketball Hall of Famers: Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As is his custom, President Barack Obama greeted the athletes at a White House ceremony with a mixture of humor and sincerity.

“We’ve got innovators and artists, public servants, rabble-rousers, athletes, renowned character actors like the guy from ‘Space Jam,'” Obama said in reference to Jordan, drawing a laugh from the room, including fellow medal recipient and two-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks.