In February, a representative from Michael Jordan's camp told Complex MJ actually liked the viral meme of him crying, which is quickly applied to every major sporting moment today. If you take an L and the sports world is watching, you can expect to see Crying Jordan's face Photoshopped onto yours. “We think it’s funny,” Jordan's rep said. His son seemed to like it, too.
TMZ caught up with Jordan's longtime friend and former NBA forward Charles Oakley Wednesday, and Oakley disputed the idea that Jordan likes the meme. "Nah, he don't like it," Oakley said.
The photo dates back to Jordan's 2009 Naismith Hall of Fame induction ceremony. His Airness was overcome with emotion, and Associated Press photographer Stephan Savoia captured the moment. Savoia apparently had no idea the photo went viral until a few months ago.
"I just did some Google searches after I read your email and have not been able to stop laughing," he wrote in an email to the Wall Street Journal.
"It was the first time in maybe 40 years I had ever seen an athlete cry," Savoia said. "There’s a real distinction between honest emotion and what we in the business call ‘jubi’ or jubilation. When a football player gets a touchdown, he dances, spikes the ball, whatever they’re doing, that’s not emotion, that’s jubilation. But emotion, real emotion, that’s a rare thing, and you stumble into it with dumb luck. Michael Jordan crying, that was a real moment."
It being a genuine "real moment" has not stopped the internet from going in. In fact, the internet has been going in with the meme for more than a year now, and the news that Jordan doesn't like the meme has only encouraged more Crying Jordan production.
In case you were considering not doing this anymore … let’s ramp up production. https://t.co/8LVDjKxHZH
This meme will never die.
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