Michael Jordan re-enacted his famous Internet meme as he got emotional during the ceremony of the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House. He was awarded along with 20 individuals with distinguished achievement in science, sports, public service, human rights, politics and the arts..
During his speech to the recipients of Presidential Medal of Freedom in the ceremony held in the White House’s East Room, president Obama jokingly referred to Michael Jordan as “the guy from Space Jam” as reported by FOX Sports.
President Obama’s speech brought Jordan to become emotional and according to CBS Sports, the famous Internet meme of him almost came back to live. President Obama also said that Jordan is more than just a meme.
"MJ is more than just a logo. He's more than just an internet meme," president Obama said.
Jordan is one of the recipients of the award with 20 other individuals with achievements in certain aspects. Actor Tom Hanks, television personality Ellen DeGeneres and singer Bruce Springsteen are among the recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom. Beside Michael Jordan, former Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was also one of the recipient.
The famous Internet meme is the meme which circulated in 2014 via Twitter and social media. The meme became viral for years. It was taken from Jordan’s picture from the Associated Press as he was crying in his induction ceremony speech to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 11, 2009.
Jordan Crying meme began to enter the mainstream media a year later. Many references are being made to the meme, including in NCAA final game this year, when Jordan’s alma mater North Carolina University was defeated by Villanova in April. The meme continued to become popular meme for until people got bored with it in the mid 2016 and many sports figures complained about the meme.
Watch the president Obama’s joke on Jordan Internet meme from the ABC News below: