Obama will present recipients including rocker Bruce Springsteen, Motown soul singer Diana Ross, former basketball champions Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and actors Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Robert Redford with the medal at a White House ceremony on Nov. 22, the White House said on Wednesday.
"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 statement.
The medal is given annually to people who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
This year's roster also includes Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda for their philanthropic foundation, TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, veteran actress Cicely Tyson, architect Frank Gehry and baseball broadcaster Vin Scully.
Gotta love #VIN. Here's @WhiteHouse @PressSec calling Vin Scully to let him know he's a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. pic.twitter.com/uvoks5tAR1— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) November 16, 2016
Here is the entire list of honorees: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Elouise Cobell Ellen DeGeneres Robert De Niro Richard Garwin Bill and Melinda Gates Frank Gehry Margaret H. Hamilton Tom Hanks Grace Hopper Michael Jordan Maya Lin Lorne Michaels Newt Minow Eduardo Padron Robert Redford Diana Ross Vin Scully Bruce Springsteen Cicely Tyson
The group also includes several not so well known Americans, such as late Native American community leader Elouise Cobell and NASA moon landing computer scientist Margaret H. Hamilton.
Obama leaves office in January after eight years, following the election of Republican businessman Donald Trump.
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