【1992 Archives】

Michael Jordan's eyes were glistening as Barack Obama listed his accomplishments992 Archivesinfluences 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.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

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.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Did Trump orchestrate the 'Hamilton' debacle to distract us or is life just a distraction?

---

Topics Barack Obama

• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Tech
• Life
• Games

• Best Apple deal: Save $60 on the Apple Watch SE
• It's about time: Half of all websites are now encrypted
• No, Samsung isn't launching a refurbished Galaxy Note7
• Michael C. Hall makes a great point about David Bowie's Brit award win
• No Time for a Negative Peace
• Heinous furry crocs are the latest fashion trend that nobody asked for
• Hug a tree while you still can: U.S. forests are disappearing
• Someone got banned from Club Penguin in 39 seconds
• U.N. confirms the ocean is screwed
• Hero cashier makes baby's shopping trip the best day ever

• 'Iron Fist' Season 2 is all about Colleen in first Comic
• TV writers worry online backlash could have a negative effect on LGBTQ character representation
• Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft are joining forces to make your data super portable
• This ceramic can pot pipe will give you stoner nostalgia
• Nobody can handle the ending of the 'Riverdale' season 3 trailer
• Maisie Williams is getting the perfect 'Game of Thrones' tattoo
• Little kid answers honestly when asked why we need families
• Sony's new phone camera sensor will let you take 48
• Simon Pegg on how sci
• Elon Musk, farting unicorn artist reach agreement and end feud

• Apple is actively looking at AI search for Safari
• She let her dog poop in the airport, so he got his revenge
• Michael C. Hall makes a great point about David Bowie's Brit award win
• Ford's self
• Galaxy S9+ vs Pixel 2 XL Camera
• South Korean women will live longer than the rest of us in the future
• It's about time: Half of all websites are now encrypted
• Spiderman vs. Elsa videos have taken over YouTube and it's so confusing
• This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
• Muslim Americans' campaign to repair Jewish cemetery gets the J.K. Rowling bump

• How to Settle Down with Dystopia
• This startup buys and fixes up languishing mobile games and tools
• Twitter helps brands become more than faceless monoliths to their customers
• India's new currency problem: Fake Rs 2,000 bills at SBI ATM
• NYT Connections hints and answers for April 14: Tips to solve 'Connections' #673.
• Apple's new 'Apple Park' spaceship campus will open in April
• Emma Watson just found a new, Earth
• This startup buys and fixes up languishing mobile games and tools
• Best Kindle Unlimited deal: Get 3 months of Kindle Unlimited for 99 cents
• Heinous furry crocs are the latest fashion trend that nobody asked for