President Obama Reminds Us Michael Jordan Is "More Than Just an Internet Meme" at Medal of Freedom Ceremony

Michael Jordan was one of the three recipients in the field of Sports, joining Vin Scully and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday. Before giving the award to Jordan, President Barack Obama shared a few words, and once again reminded us why he will be sorely missed when he leaves office in two months.

Before touching on MJ's many accomplishments on the court, President Obama recalled the story of how a five-year-old Jordan was playing with an ax, and nearly cut off his entire big toe. "Back then, his handles needed a little work," Obama said, jokingly. "But think, if things had gone differently, Air Jordans might have never taken flight. I mean, you don't want to buy a shoe with, like, one toe missing."

After rattling off a number of Jordan's greatest moments, including "The Flu Game" and his many game-winning shots, Barry Savage reminded the crowd that MJ is "more than just a logo, more than just an Internet meme." Wow. As you can see in the above video, the former United States Senator from Illinois was really referencing the Crying Jordan Meme as Mike was turning into the Crying Jordan meme IRL!

See President Obama's entire speech, as well as the moment when he gave the Medal of Freedom to Jordan in the clip below.