Springsteen, Frank Gehry, Michael Jordan to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Obama named 21 Americans as recipients of the nation's highest civilian award Wednesday, including one of the world's leading architects, actors, athletes, and The Boss.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, which will be presented at the White House on Nov. 22, celebrates "individuals [who] have helped push America forward, inspiring millions of people around the world along the way," according to a statement.

Among the recipients are local music icon (and Democratic rally headliner) Bruce Springsteen, and architect Frank Gehry, who is spearheading a multi-decade renovation of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after previous accolades for designing Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Spain.

Bill and Melinda Gates will be honored for their philanthropic foundation, which has provided more than $36 billion in grants since its inception.

Other honorees include artist Maya Lin; attorney Newt Minow; physicist Richard Garwin; software engineer Margaret H. Hamilton; and Eduardo Padrón, president of Miami Dade College.

The entertainment honorees include actors Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Robert Redford and Cicely Tyson; comedian Ellen DeGeneres; singer Diana Ross; and Saturday Night Live creator and producer Lorne Michaels.

The sports honorees include NBA greats Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and legendary Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully.

Medals will also be posthumously awarded to Native American community leader Elouise Cobell and trailblazing computer programmer "Amazing" Grace Hopper.