On Saturday, President Joe Biden honored a number of important figures with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. These included two notable athletes, including former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson and international soccer star Lionel Messi.

In a biography read during the ceremony, the White House cited Johnson’s success as a basketball player – citing his accolades as an MVP winner, Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Famer – as well as his business empire, his philanthropy to underserved communities and his groundbreaking advocacy around HIV/ AIDS.

The 6-foot-tall Johnson had to squat so Biden could hang the medal around his neck, prompting a hearty laugh from the audience.

Messi did not attend the ceremony. In a press release, the White House cited Messi’s founding and work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador as the basis for the award.

Other recipients of the medal include chef José Andrés, U2 frontman 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, and 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 posthumously with the award.