President Barack Obama had reason to do a skyhook motion at the White House on Tuesday. The occasion: Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar received a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

"Here's how great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was: 1967, he had spent a year dominating college basketball, the NCAA bans the dunk," Obama said. "They didn't say it was about Kareem, but it was about Kareem. When a sport changes its rules to make it harder just for you, you are really good. And yet, despite the rule change, he was still the sport's most unstoppable force. It's a title he'd hold for more than two decades, winning NBA Finals MVPs a staggering 14 years apart. And, as a surprisingly similar-looking co-pilot, Roger Murdock, once said in the movie Airplane -- I mean, we've got some great actors here: Space Jam, Airplane -- he did it all while dragging [Bill] Walton and [Bob] Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.

"But the reason we honor Kareem is more than just a pair of goggles and the skyhook," Obama continued. "He stood up for his Muslim faith when it wasn't easy and it wasn't popular. He's as comfortable sparring with Bruce Lee as he is advocating on Capitol Hill or writing with extraordinary eloquence about patriotism. Physically, intellectually, spiritually, Kareem is one of a kind: an American who illuminates both our most basic freedoms and our highest aspirations."

Here's the whole speech:

Here's Abdul-Jabbar receiving his medal:

And here's Obama's skyhook:

President Obama's skyhook next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The President does his Kareem impression next to the man himself. CNN

So, along with being the NBA's all-time scoring leader, a six-time NBA champion, a six-time MVP, 19-time All-Star and serving as the United States' cultural ambassador, Abdul-Jabbar now has a medal of freedom. Not bad.

Michael Jordan received the same honor on Tuesday.