WASHINGTON, Aug 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – President Donald Trump awarded 91-
year-old US basketball legend Bob Cousy, who won six NBA titles with the
Boston Celtics, the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on
Thursday.
Trump evoked Cousy’s “very unique talent” in presenting him with the
nation’s highest civilian honor.
“Throughout his long career Bob was a voice against racism,” Trump said in
a speech that traced the 1950s and ’60s sport star’s “incredible life.”
A visibly moved Cousy was brought to tears.
“That’s why you shouldn’t invite old men to the White House. They get
emotional,” he told the president.
He also said that he thought Trump was “the most extraordinary president in
my lifetime.”
The former athlete, born to French parents who immigrated to the United
States, is something of a White House regular.
He told NBA.com that the award marked his seventh invite to the president’s
house, the first time being in 1954 under Dwight Eisenhower.