SportsBarack Obama Michael Jordanpresidential medal of freedom

Michael Jordan Held Back Tears During The Medal Of Freedom Ceremony, And, Well, Yeah

You can probably guess what happened next.
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By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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There is our man.
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On Tuesday, Barack Obama presented the prestigious Medal of Freedom to 21 remarkable men and women from around the country. The highest civilian honor our country has was bestowed on the likes of Diana Ross, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bruce Springsteen and Ellen DeGeneres.

Michael Jordan also received the Medal of Freedom on Tuesday. But unlike those that surround him, Jordan also has the honor and burden of being the basis of perhaps the internet’s single greatest internet meme. We speak, of course, of Michael Jordan Crying Face. 

Obama referenced Jordan’s memedom during his speech about the Chicago Bulls legend, saying MJ was “more than just an internet meme,” a truth lost on many Americans below the age of 25. It was a soft joke, one that made Jordan lick his lips and chuckle, but then the internet, as it always does, caught on to something: Was Michael Jordan ... holding back tears?

Oh no. 

Oh no, no, no. 

Can’t a man just get his Medal of Freedom in peace?

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Before You Go

2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom Honorees
Diana Ross(01 of20)
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Ross, who won acclaim as part of the Motown group The Supremes and as a soloist also made her mark in acting. The Medal of Freedom will take up space on her award shelf alongside a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honor, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and a Kennedy Center Honor. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Robert De Niro(02 of20)
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De Niro, one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, claims two Oscars and a Kennedy Center Honor along with his new medal. De Niro is also a longtime progressive political activist. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(03 of20)
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Obama had a tricky time bestowing the Medal of Freedom upon the 7-foot-2 former NBA star. Post-NBA, Abdul-Jabbar has been a social justice advocate focusing on race, religion and fair pay. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Eduardo Padron(04 of20)
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Padron, president of Miami Dade College, has been a longtime advocate of inclusive, affordable quality education. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Elouise Cobell(05 of20)
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Cobell, who championed financial strength and independence of Native Americans, died in 2011. (credit:Helen H. Richardson/Getty)
Tom Hanks(06 of20)
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Hanks can put his Medal of Freedom next to his zillion Oscars. (OK. Two.) As the White House notes, Hanks has also worked outside of acting as an environmental justice advocate and for American veterans. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Michael Jordan(07 of20)
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Obama called the basketball legend "the best player on the two greatest teams of all time: The [U.S. Olympic] Dream Team and 1996 Chicago Bulls." (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Lorne Michaels(08 of20)
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Michaels is best known as the creator of "Saturday Night Live" and has produced major comedy shows and films, including current late-night talk shows "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night With Seth Meyers." (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Ellen DeGeneres(09 of20)
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Known for her groundbreaking comedy and activism for LGBTQ people, DeGeneres' name apparently wasn't enough for White House security. The comedian tweeted that she almost missed out on the ceremony because she forgot her ID. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Bruce Springsteen(10 of20)
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Springsteen, a blue-collar icon, has "helped shape American music" and "challenged us to realize the American dream," the White House said of the 12-time Grammy winner. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Robert Redford(11 of20)
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Best-known for roles in "All the President's Men" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," the legendary actor and director founded the Sundance Institute in 1981 to support independent filmmaking and has also been a longtime environmental activist. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Richard Garwin(12 of20)
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Garwin, a physicist, "made pioneering contributions to U.S. defense and intelligence technologies, low-temperature and nuclear physics, detection of gravitational radiation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer systems, laser printing, and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation," according to the White House. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Frank Gehry(13 of20)
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A leader of modern architecture, Gehry's world-renowned creations include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, the Pritzker Music Pavilion in Chicago, and 8 Spruce Street, originally known as Beekman Tower, in New York. (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Grace Hopper(14 of20)
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A leader in the computer science field, Hopper was known as “the first lady of software.” "Hopper’s work helped make coding languages more practical and accessible, and she created the first compiler, which translates source code from one language into another," the White House said. (credit:AP)
Newt Minow(15 of20)
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Minow, the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, pushed for "broadcasting that promoted the public interest," according the White House. He also has a special connection to Obama: Minow recruited Obama to work as a summer associate at the law firm where he met Michelle Obama. (Minow also ran into the couple on their first date.) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bill and Melinda Gates(16 of20)
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Bill Gates built his name and fortune as the co-founder of Microsoft, but it was his work -- along with wife, Melinda -- with the Gates Foundation that cemented the couple's legacy. Their philanthropy has focused on health and education and included the goal of wiping out malaria in their lifetime. (credit:Carlos Barria / Reuters)
Maya Lin(17 of20)
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An artist, Lin is perhaps best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The White House said, "A committed environmentalist, Lin is currently working on a multi-sited artwork/memorial, What is Missing?, bringing awareness to the planet's loss of habitat and biodiversity." (credit:Carlos Barria / Reuters)
Margaret Hamilton(18 of20)
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Hamilton is best-known for leading the team that created the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo moon missions. According to the White House, she "contributed to concepts of asynchronous software, priority scheduling and priority displays, and human-in-the-loop decision capability, which set the foundation for modern, ultra-reliable software design and engineering." (credit:Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
Cicely Tyson(19 of20)
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The Emmy- and Tony-winning actress at 91 was the oldest recipient at the ceremony. Tyson, who was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in 2015, is best known for roles in "Sounder" and "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman." (credit:Andrew Harnik/AP)
Vin Scully(20 of20)
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Scully spent 67 seasons as the voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Baseball Hall of Fame honoree called some of the most famous plays in baseball, including Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. (credit:Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
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