President Obama awarded the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest civilian honor in the United States — to 21 key figures at a star-studded ceremony at the White House last week.

The president presented the prestigious medal to former NBA basketball players Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, actors Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Robert Redford and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda for philanthropic work.

“It’s useful when you think about this incredible collection of people to realize that this is what makes us the greatest nation on earth,” President Obama said.

The medal is given annually to those who have made outstanding contributions to the national interests of the United States, to security, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Other recipients this year included singer Diana Ross, Native American community leader Elouise Cobell, NASA moon landing computer scientist Margaret H. Hamilton and rock star Bruce Springsteen.

TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who also was awarded the medal, conducted a “mannequin challenge,” a video that features people frozen in place, with the recipients.

President Obama leaves office in January after eight years.

The recipients:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships and the Milwaukee Bucks to another. During his career, he was a six-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 19-time NBA All-Star. He also has been an outspoken advocate for social justice.

Elouise Cobell, posthumous, was a Blackfeet Tribal community leader and an advocate for Native American self-determination and financial independence. She used her expertise in accounting to champion a lawsuit that resulted in a historic settlement, restoring tribal homelands to the Blackfeet Nation and many other tribes. She also helped found the Native American Bank and served as director of the Native American Community Development Corporation.

Ellen DeGeneres, an award-winning comedian who has hosted her popular daytime talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, since 2003. In 1997, after coming out herself, she made TV history when her character on “Ellen” revealed she was a lesbian. In her work and in her life, she has been an advocate for equality and fairness.

Robert De Niro has brought to life some of the most memorable roles in American film during a career that spans five decades. He is a seven-time Academy Award nominee and two-time Oscar winner, and is also a Kennedy Center honoree.

Richard Garwin, a polymath physicist who earned a Ph.D. under Enrico Fermi at age 21 and subsequently made pioneering contributions to U.S. defense and intelligence technologies, low-temperature and nuclear physics, detection of gravitational radiation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer systems, laser printing and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. He directed Applied Research at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center and taught at the University of Chicago, Columbia University and Harvard University. He is the winner of the National Medal of Science and holds 47 patents.

Bill and Melinda Gates established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 to help people across the globe lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, the foundation focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, the mission is to ensure that all people — especially those with the fewest resources — have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. The Gates Foundation has provided more than $36 billion in grants since its inception.

Frank Gehry, one of the world’s leading architects whose works have helped define contemporary architecture. His best known buildings include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Dancing House in Prague and the Guggenheim Museum building in Bilbao, Spain.

Margaret H. Hamilton led the team that created the on-board flight software for NASA’s Apollo command modules and lunar modules. A mathematician and computer scientist who started her own software company, she co-created the concepts of asynchronous software, priority scheduling and human-in-the-loop decision capability, which set the foundation for modern, ultra-reliable software design and engineering.

Tom Hanks, an actor and filmmaker who has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role five times, and won for his work in the films “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump.” He also has advocated for social and environmental justice and for veterans and their families.

Grace Hopper, posthumous, was a rear admiral known as “Amazing Grace” and “the first lady of software.” She was at the forefront of computers and programming development from the 1940s through the 1980s. Her work helped make coding languages more practical and accessible, and she created the first compiler, which translates source code from one language into another.

Michael Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. He is a principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets. During his career, he won six championships, five Most Valuable Player awards and appeared in 14 All-Star games.

Maya Lin, an artist and designer known for her work in sculpture and landscape art, she designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. A committed environmentalist, she is working on a multi-sited artwork/memorial, “What is Missing?” bringing awareness to the planet’s loss of habitat and biodiversity.

Lorne Michaels, a producer and screenwriter best known for creating and producing television’s “Saturday Night Live,” which has run continuously for more than 40 years. He has won 13 Emmy Awards.

Newt Minow, an attorney who was selected by President Kennedy in 1961 to serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Committee. In the five decades since leaving the FCC, Minow has maintained a private law practice while engaging in numerous public and charitable causes.

Eduardo Padrón is president of Miami Dade College and has been a national voice for access and inclusion. He has worked to ensure all students have access to high quality, affordable education. He has championed innovative teaching and learning strategies.

Robert Redford, an actor, director, producer, businessman and environmentalist, founded the Sundance Institute in 1991 to advance the work of independent filmmakers and storytellers, particularly through its annual Sundance Film Festival. He has received an Academy Award for Best Director and for Lifetime Achievement.

Diana Ross has had an iconic career spanning more than 50 years within the entertainment industry in music, film, television, theater and fashion. She is an Academy Award nominee, inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of the Grammy Awards highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors.

Vin Scully, a broadcaster who, for 67 seasons, was the voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1988, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His signature voice brought to life key moments in baseball history, including perfect games by Sandy Koufax and Don Larsen, Kirk Gibson’s home run in the 1988 World Series and Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run.

Bruce Springsteen, a singer, songwriter and bandleader who has helped shape American music. He is a Kennedy Center honoree and he and the E Street Band he leads have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Cicely Tyson, an actress of stage, television and film, has won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award for best leading actress. She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015.