it so happens he also was the first african-american ever to hold such a position as a coach in a major league sport of any sort. more than any athlete of his era, bill russell came to define the word winner. and yet whenever someone looks up at all 6 9 of bill russell i just did, i always feel small next to him and asks, are you a basketball player, surprisinsurprisingly, this more than you d think, this question, he says, no. he said, that s what i do, it s not what i am. i m not a basketball player. i am a man who plays basketball. bill russell the man is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men. he marched with king. he stood by ali. when a restaurant refused to serve the black celtics, he refused to play in the game.
reporter: none of them got is it? no. reporter: i was half right. because i said eisenhower did not get it. you were not wrong. for a guy who nearly got hit by a truck, i thought you were quite sharp about the whole deal. tell me what the medal of freedom is about. reporter: well, it s the highest civilian honor a president can give out. there have been other former presidents who have gotten it. former president george h.w. bush, met with the president earlier in the oval office. he s getting a medal of freedom. i saw jeb bush and barbara bush looking emotional. this is a big moment for them. he s closing in on 90 years old. i m also interested in some of the sports heroes who are going to get the award. stan the man musial, that s a big deal to a lot of baseball fans. and bill russell, a pioneer not just as a baseball player, but any african-american coaches in any of the major sports.
triples singles and rbis in a single season, three world series. first ballot hall of famer, worthy of one of the greatest nicknames in sports, stan the man. my grandfather was stan, by the way, so i used s ed to call him man, too. stan made that brilliance burn for two decades. stan matched his hustle with humili humility. he retired with 17 records, even as he missed a season in his prime to serve his country in the navy. he was the first player to make get this $100,000. even more shocking, he asked for a pay cut when he didn t perform up to his own expectations. you can imagine that hatppening
protesters in tehran yesterday. one person was reported killed. president obama is defending his fiscal year 2012 budget plan at a news conference a short time ago. he said program cuts and spending freezes, he s proposing, are based on tough choices. some democrats say the plan cuts too many critical programs, many republicans say it doesn t go far enough. the president is about to award the presidential medal of freedom to 15 people, including former president george h.w. bush. congressman and civil rights leader john lewis, baseball legend stan musial and cellist yo-yo ma. america s highest civilian honor. we ll join the ceremony live as soon as it begins. and if i m not mistaken, it looks like it s about to begin right now. let s listen in. warren buffett.