Michael Jordan's eyes were glistening as Barack Obama listed his accomplishmentsKinfluences Tuesday at the White House.
SEE ALSO: People are wasting their good tortillas on supermoon memes"He’s more than just a logo. He's more than just an internet meme," Obama said about the legendary basketball player, known more often these days not as the best basketball player to ever play the game, but for his ubiquitous "Crying Jordan" meme that gets plastered on everything around the internet.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Jordan was one of 21 honored in Obama's final ceremony to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.
Jordan wasn't the only one getting choked up.
Anyone else watching the Medal of Freedom ceremony bawling their eyes out? #MedalofFreedom
— Pam Carlson (@PamCarlson3) November 22, 2016
Other notables were honored with fun backstories and witty quips from the outgoing president.
Obama made it clear "we should never travel with Tom Hanks" since the actor always gets marooned at airports, kidnapped by pirates and has to emergency land airplanes. He said "America's dad" is a "good man" who "made it seem natural to have a volleyball as your best friend."
From the sports world, Obama shared his pride of longtime Dodgers sports announcer Vin Scully and the basketball skills of NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"When a sport changes its rules just to make it harder for you, you are really good," the president told a towering Abdul-Jabbar.
This is just an incredible image. #MedalofFreedom https://t.co/CFhzoqNvFM
— Kevin Lainez (@KevinL007) November 22, 2016
Even after an emotional dedication in which Obama praised comedian Ellen DeGeneres for coming out publicly almost 20 years ago, DeGeneres was back to the jokes. Before the ceremony she had left her ID and had some trouble getting into the White House.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
When introducing rock and roll legend Bruce Springsteen, Obama said, "I'm the president, he is the boss."
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Obama had plenty to say about the other philanthropists, musicians, actors, architects, computer scientists and more. "Like I said this is a really good class" of recipients, Obama said as he wrapped up the ceremony.
The Anatomy of Liberal Melancholy
Instagram adds Amber Alert notifications directly to the app
Depp v. Heard: What the trial and verdict say about our culture
WhatsApp might add the ability to edit messages
Commissioning Misleading Core i9
Apple WWDC 2022: Come for iOS 16, stay for realityOS
1,600 men sign full page New York Times ad in support of Dr. Ford
'Wordle' today: Get the answer, hints for June 1
Apple is actively looking at AI search for Safari
How to watch Apple's WWDC 2022 event
CPU Price Watch: 9900K Incoming, Ryzen Cuts
5 kids movies on Amazon Prime Video that are actually worth watching
6 travel apps for making your summer vacation plans
Elijah Wood casually rides scooter, instantly becomes meme
Best Amazon Fire TV Cube deal: Save $30 at Amazon
LEGO launches new LGBTQ awareness campaign for Pride month
Sassy seal accidentally slaps man across the face with an octopus
No matter what happens now, history's judgment on Kavanaugh is already clear
The best day to book your flight, according to Google
Trump's Justice Department sues California over net neutrality law
Best headphones deal: Save 37% on the Sony WHWordle today: The answer and hints for June 4, 2025Owala FreeSip is without a doubt the best water bottleBest MacBook Air deal: New M4 MacBook Air under $850Best PlayStation deal: Save $50 on PlayStation 5 ProEero 6+ mesh WiFi system: $75 off at AmazonCheap QLED TV deal: 50% off 65From Yondr pouches to screenNYT mini crossword answers for June 3, 2025Musetti vs. Tiafoe 2025 livestream: Watch French Open for freeSave $100 on the Bose QuietComfort headphonesI tried the Switch 2 GameChat feature, and so far I'm impressedBest gift card deal: Get two $50 Uber eGift Cards for $75 at CostcoNintendo Switch 2 preorder guide: Price, release date, restocksBest Samsung Galaxy deal: Save $300 on Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraHow to unblock Xnxx for freeNYT mini crossword answers for June 4, 2025NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for June 3: Tips to solve Connections #253NYT Strands hints, answers for June 4Do your digital due diligence this EOFY Couple celebrates 50 years of marriage in wedding outfits they wore in 1966 British man live Police officers greet Trump with 'Make America Great Again' hats Fighting game community mourns death of Christopher 'NinjaCW' Harris Winners and losers from the Samsung Note7 debacle Pregnant dog gets the maternity photoshoot she deserves Lily Allen breaks down in tears over Calais child refugees Study: Esports gaining on baseball and hockey among millennial men The curious case of the Carolina Panthers' missing cheeky tweet It looks like Facebook motivated a lot of people to register to vote Baby monitor catches baby doing spooky headstand in her sleep Man creates offensively cute 'Harry Potter' pensieve for his wedding Eric Trump learns what the electoral map would look like if the internet turned it into a meme LeBron James trashes Trump's 'locker room talk' while Tom Brady walks away This is officially Britain's favourite 'Friends' character Google's Pixel smartphones are going on pre 'Drone doctors' are helping bring whales back from brink of extinction A very serious guide to prepare for a trip to Mars Amazon launches its music streaming service Toyota recalls over 300,000 Prius cars due to brake problem