Bob Cousy turned 91 on Aug. 9, but it ranked no higher than second as far as big deals for him this month. On Aug. 22, Cousy will visit the White House to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump. It ranks with the Congressional Gold Medal as the highest civilian award and typically is bestowed for “meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Honored recipients are chosen from across all fields, from business and economics, politics and academia to religion, the arts, science, philosophy and medicine. Cousy will become the 33rd recipient from the sports world.

What the legendary Boston Celtics guard is most proud of, in receiving the medal, is that it recognizes contributions outside of his athletic career. Cousy’s Celtics’ career was remarkable -- six NBA championships in seven years from 1957-62, 13 All-Star selections in 13 seasons, a first-ballot selection to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and acclaim as the both the league’s prototypical point guard and a major gate attraction with his clever, behind-the-back passing and peripheral court vision.

> NBA History: A closer look at Cousy's career

But the 6-foot-1 guard from Holy Cross was the spark behind the formation and acceptance of the National Basketball Players Association, the union that has made partners of NBA team owners and players while generating the top salaries in major U.S. sports. He also helped to usher black teammates -- including pioneer Chuck Cooper, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones and Satch Sanders -- as well as the Boston team, the league and their fans through racial integration in the 1950s and ‘60s as America’s civil rights lights were blinking on.

Cousy spoke with NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner about his upcoming White House visit, as well as his illustrious career. Here is part of that conversation. (For more on Cousy's remarkable career, check out 10 Things To Know.

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Steve Aschburner: Congratulations on the honor and your upcoming trip to the White House. What do you make of it, being chosen to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and why is it happening now?

Bob Cousy: The story is, three or four good friends came to me about four years ago and asked if I was prepared to perhaps be a recipient, and did I want them to pursue it? I told them I really had never pursued that type of acknowledgement before. But I also didn’t tell them “No.” So they went out with their plan.

Congressman Jim McGovern [D-Mass.] agreed to help them. They put a portfolio together. We thought we had a pretty strong case to make to President Obama. We had a letter that President Kennedy had written to me. We got letters from [former Massachusetts governor] Deval Patrick and [Senator] Cory Booker [D-N.J.], but at the end of the day it didn’t happen. I became involved and reached out to a friend of mine -- who is Senator Joe Manchin’s [D-WVa.] closest friend, I guess -- and he reached out to Joe. And Joe is an honest politician who follows his conscience.

Bob Cousy was one of the all-time great point guards in NBA lore.

SA: Oh, he’s the one …

BC: He’s a Democrat who doesn’t rely on a particular ideology or party affiliation to make decisions. He makes them on their merits. I’ve tried to do the same thing my entire life. My wife and I were registered independents for 63 years for that reason. We didn’t want to get locked into ideology, where everything that came up you just voted the same way. That’s what Joe does.

Anyway, Joe had an opportunity to help me. The President [Trump] reaches out to Joe from time to time.

SA: And it worked?

BC: The President called me last Dec. 3, with he and Joe having lunch together at the White House. Joe had given him my portfolio and, despite the fact it was kind of Democratically tinged, he obviously thought it had merit and he offered me the medal to be given in April.

I obviously accepted -- we had a nice 15-minute dialogue -- and I did say, ‘Mr. President, I am flattered by you calling personally. But I told Joe a year ago I’d refuse to accept this award posthumously.' He laughed at that and said, "I’m going to do it again in April and you’re the first one I’m inviting.” He said, “So can you stay alive till April.” I told him I’d give it my best shot.

SA: But it didn’t happen in April, did it?

BC: A guy named Tiger did something spectacular [Tiger Woods won the Masters golf tournament with a stirring comeback performance]. So the President delayed my presentation because he wanted to do Tiger immediately. Shortly after that, his aide contacted me and said, “OK, the President would like to make it on July 29.” I said, “Oooh, that’s only two weeks away. Do we have a Plan B?” She said, “Sure. How ‘bout August 22.” I said “Bingo! I’ll be there with bells on.”

SA: Will you be honored with other recipients?

BC: No. He’s the first President -- my ace son-in-law investigated this back to [former President Harry] Truman, and it’s always been done in one ceremony once a year in November. It usually focuses on the arts, but they throw in a few jocks.

President Trump is the first one that has decided, instead of one ceremony, he is going to stagger ‘em. He did, I think, [auto racing giant] Roger Penske in June and [economist] Art Laffer in July, and then I’m up for August. He told me he liked doing it so he didn’t want to do them all together. I was told I’ll be the only recipient on August 22 in the Oval Office.