On this present day 16 years in the past, the web gave us the “Crying Michael Jordan” meme. pic.twitter.com/f12L3BJkje
— Know Your Meme (@knowyourmeme) September 11, 2025
“I instructed all my mates I used to be going to return up right here and say ‘Thanks’ and stroll off.”
It was seconds earlier than this opening assertion from Michael Jordan’s Corridor of Fame speech in 2019 that two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Stephan Savoia captured a historic picture of MJ crying within the Springfield Symphony Corridor.
“I hit my shutter, rapid-fire,” Stated Savoia in an interview with Yahoo. “And his head was up for possibly 10 seconds. Everyone turns round and appears and sees what’s occurring they usually’re scrambling for his or her cameras. By the point they did, he had wiped his eyes, and he was executed crying. No person else had the image. It was the most effective one I had. And it went out that night time, two minutes after 9 o’clock, with ‘AP Photograph/Stephan Savoia’ within the byline. That’s the way it turned unique. The way it received to the web, I do not know.”
That picture went on to turn out to be a favourite on message boards in 2012 after which on social media a number of years later. It turned so mainstream that it was a solution on JEOPARDY.
It turned so well-known that Barack Obama referenced it whereas presenting MJ with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
The Crying MJ meme was such a factor that MJ himself made a joke about it throughout a eulogy for Kobe Bryant in 2020:
“Now he’s received me crying. I’ll have to take a look at one other crying meme. I instructed my spouse I wasn’t going to do that as a result of I didn’t wish to see that for the subsequent three or 4 years.”
“I’m gonna have to take a look at one other crying meme” -Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/7SDIncQK4Z
— FOX Sports activities (@FOXSports) February 24, 2020
“I TOOK IT PERSONAL”
I can think about MJ seeing these memes, “taking it personally,” after which wanting revenge. It doesn’t matter if you’re a social media admin, an web troll, or a random individual simply making an attempt to make a innocent joke; MJ would need some type of revenge. I do know this as a result of I witnessed his profession and recall the quite a few occasions he discovered methods to inspire himself by turning into upset at one thing or somebody after which searching for revenge.
Do you bear in mind LaBradford Smith? He scored a career-high 37 in opposition to the Bulls and instructed MJ, “Good recreation, Mike.” MJ reportedly instructed some media members he would match Smith’s 37 factors in simply the primary half of the rematch. As loopy as that sounds, he nearly did it. MJ knocked down his first eight photographs and scored 36 factors (he would have had 37 if not for a missed free throw) within the first half.
The Killer Intuition of Michael Jordan.LaBradford Smith stated “good one Mike”.#MichaelJordan #GOAT #KillerInstinct #NBA #TheLastDance
📷 The Final Dance pic.twitter.com/8FTpHloIzC
— Six Aces@twelfth Championship (@greenarcher1a) February 28, 2024
Based on MJ, Smith was asking for mercy. If mercy was testing within the third quarter with 47 factors, then MJ did present some mercy.
There’s additionally nice story about MJ getting revenge on Jeff Van Gundy, who known as MJ a “con man” who befriends different gamers to achieve a aggressive benefit.
MICHAEL JORDAN’S REVENGE SPEECH
My favourite revenge story could be his Corridor of Fame speech. After the beginning of the Crying MJ meme, the GOAT spoke for 21 minutes, thanking family members and roasting folks like Van Gundy and even the man who made the ultimate reduce on his highschool workforce:
“There’s Leroy Smith. Now you guys assume that’s a fantasy. Leroy Smith was a man, once I received reduce he made the Varsity workforce. He’s right here tonight and nonetheless the identical 6’7″ man. And greater, in all probability his recreation is about the identical. However he began the entire course of with me as a result of when he made the workforce and I didn’t, I wished to show not simply to Leroy Smith, not simply to myself, however to the coach that picked Leroy over me. I wished to be sure to understood that you just made a mistake dude.”
MJ ON BUZZ PETERSON
“He’s Participant of the 12 months. I’m pondering, ‘Nicely, he ain’t by no means performed in opposition to me but, so how did he turn out to be Participant of the 12 months?’ So Buzz turned a dot on my board.”
MJ ON DOUG COLLINS
“After I was making an attempt to play within the summertime, he stated, “You’re part of the group, and the group stated you may’t play within the summertime.” I stated, ‘Doug, you haven’t learn the wonderful print in my contract. In my contract, I’ve a LOVE THE GAME CLAUS, which suggests I can play anytime and in anywhere I would like.”
MJ ON PAT RILEY ABOUT JEFF VAN GUNDY
“You had your little man who was in your workers and have become the subsequent coach after you. He stated I conned the gamers. I befriended them after which attacked them on the basketball courtroom.”
MJ ON JERRY KRAUSE
“I don’t know who invited him, I didn’t. I hope he understands, I hope he understands it goes a good distance, and he was a really aggressive individual and I used to be a really aggressive individual. He stated ‘organizations win championships’. I stated, ‘I didn’t see organizations enjoying with the Flu in Utah. I didn’t see them enjoying with a nasty ankle.’”
MJ ON THE MEDIA
“We had all these media nay-sayers. Oh ‘scoring champion can’t win an NBA title.’ Or ‘you’re not so good as Magic Johnson, you’re not so good as Larry Hen. You’re good, however you’re not so good as these guys.’ You understand, I needed to hearken to all of this and that put a lot wool on that fireside that it saved me, each day, making an attempt to get higher as a basketball participant. Now I’m not saying that they have been flawed. I could have checked out it from a distinct perspective. However on the identical time, as a basketball participant I’m making an attempt to turn out to be the most effective that I can, you understand, and for somebody like me who achieved loads over the course of my profession you search for any sort of messages that individuals could say or do to get you motivated to play the sport of basketball on the highest stage, as a result of that’s once I really feel like I excel at my finest.
MJ ON TEX WINTERS
“We’re strolling off the ground and Tex seems at me and says, ‘You understand, there’s no ‘i’ in workforce’. I stated, ‘Tex, there’s not, there’s not an ‘i’ in workforce however there’s an ‘i’ in win.’”
MJ ON BRYON RUSSELL
“I look over at Bryan and I stated, ‘Do you bear in mind this dialog you made in 1994 and stated, ‘I believe I can guard you, shut you down, and I might like to play in opposition to you?’ ‘Nicely, you about to get your probability.’ And consider me, ever since that day, he received his probability. And consider me, ever since that day, he received his probability. I don’t understand how succeeding he was, however I believe he had his probability, and consider me, I relished on that time and from this present day ahead if I ever see him in shorts I’m coming at him.
MJ ON THE HALL OF FAME
“They’re charging $1,000 tickets for this entire occasion. It was 200 bucks. However I paid it, you understand, I had no selection. I had a number of household, a number of mates I had to herald. So, thanks Corridor of Fame for elevating ticket costs, I assume.”
If MJ was aggravated with the ticket costs then how do you assume John Stockton felt. He joked that a number of the folks that he introduced have been right here to see the man who prevented Stockton from successful two NBA Championships. MJ laughed on the joke however I wouldn’t be shocked if he additionally received some satisfaction from the considered Stockton paying for tickets for individuals who simply wished to see the GOAT.
“He makes one large shot and all people thinks he’s sort of cool. I don’t get it.”
A Look into my soul proper now…but it surely’s all good we will likely be again! pic.twitter.com/fKbDjGx0on
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) February 8, 2016
