During a serious and heart-warming event held at the White House, President Barack Obama made a light joke during the Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony as he presented the awards to 21 recipients last Tuesday. Included in his joke was NBA All-Star Michael Jordan whom the President noted as "the guy from Space Jam."
Obama jokes at Medal of Freedom ceremony: “We’ve got … renowned character actors, like the guy from ‘Space Jam.’” https://t.co/LDTmxG7qaQ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 22, 2016
Honoring 21 individuals who "made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors," President Barack Obama hosted the Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony. The highest award a civilian can achieve in the United States.
According to Yahoo Sports News, President Obama loves to keep his chin up at the Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony, presumably, because he gets to pull the leg of legendary A-listers such as Robert Redford, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, as well as iconic music artists like Diana Ross and Bruce Springsteen.
President Obama no doubt didn't leave out his favorite sports stars. This year's Presidential Medal of Freedom awardees included the long-time Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, LA Lakers Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and NBA All-Star Michael Jordan.
UPROXX reported that from the opening of the ceremony, President Obama had already fired his shots at the NBA All-Star Michael Jordan, calling Jordan as "the guy from the Space Jam" and calling him "more than just an Internet meme," pointing Jordan's crying meme. When Tony Allen tried to stare down NBA All-Star Michael Jordan, he laughed really hard.
When it came to presenting the LA Lakers Legend Abdul-Jabbar, President Obama proved that Abdul-Jabbar's talent made an easy career in sports, as Obama told the story of how the Abdul-Jabbar's dominance changed US college basketball.
President John F. Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 through the Executive Order 11085. The Executive Order calls for the Presidential Medal of Freedom to be awarded around July 4 or the other convenient times as chosen by the US President. However, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has not been awarded every year and recipients were selected by the President on his own initiative or based on recommendations.
