The origin of the Crying MJ meme

On today 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 advised all my pals 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 completed crying. No one 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 Picture/Stephan Savoia’ within the byline. That’s the way it grew to become unique. The way it received to the web, I don’t know.”

That picture went on to turn out to be a favourite on message boards in 2012 after which on social media just a few years later. It grew to become so mainstream that it was a solution on JEOPARDY.

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It grew to become 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 have a look at one other crying meme. I advised my spouse I wasn’t going to do that as a result of I didn’t wish to see that for the following three or 4 years.”

“I’m gonna have to have 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 particular person 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 keep in mind LaBradford Smith? He scored a career-high 37 in opposition to the Bulls and advised MJ, “Good recreation, Mike.” MJ reportedly advised 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 pictures 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

In line with MJ, Smith was asking for mercy. If mercy was trying out 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 realize a aggressive benefit.

MICHAEL JORDAN’S REVENGE SPEECH

My favourite revenge story could be his Corridor of Fame speech. After the start 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 staff:

“There’s Leroy Smith. Now you guys assume that’s a fantasy. Leroy Smith was a man, after I received reduce he made the Varsity staff. He’s right here tonight and nonetheless the identical 6’7″ man. And larger, most likely his recreation is about the identical. However he began the entire course of with me as a result of when he made the staff and I didn’t, I needed to show not simply to Leroy Smith, not simply to myself, however to the coach that picked Leroy over me. I needed to be sure you understood that you just made a mistake dude.”

MJ ON BUZZ PETERSON

“He’s Participant of the Yr. I’m considering, ‘Nicely, he ain’t by no means performed in opposition to me but, so how did he turn out to be Participant of the Yr?’ So Buzz grew to become 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 possibly can’t play within the summertime.” I stated, ‘Doug, you haven’t learn the fantastic print in my contract. In my contract, I’ve a LOVE THE GAME CLAUS, which suggests I can play anytime and in anywhere I need.”

MJ ON PAT RILEY ABOUT JEFF VAN GUNDY

“You had your little man who was in your employees and have become the following 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 great distance, and he was a really aggressive particular person and I used to be a really aggressive particular person. He stated ‘organizations win championships’. I stated, ‘I didn’t see organizations taking part in with the Flu in Utah. I didn’t see them taking part in 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 inferior to Magic Johnson, you’re inferior to Larry Chicken. You’re good, however you’re inferior to these guys.’ You realize, I needed to hearken to all of this and that put a lot wool on that fireside that it stored me, each day, making an attempt to get higher as a basketball participant. Now I’m not saying that they had been incorrect. I could have checked out it from a special 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 rather a lot over the course of my profession you search for any form of messages that individuals might say or do to get you motivated to play the sport of basketball on the highest stage, as a result of that’s after I really feel like I excel at my greatest.

MJ ON TEX WINTERS

“We’re strolling off the ground and Tex appears to be like at me and says, ‘You realize, there’s no ‘i’ in staff’. I stated, ‘Tex, there’s not, there’s not an ‘i’ in staff however there’s an ‘i’ in win.’”

MJ ON BRYON RUSSELL

“I look over at Bryan and I stated, ‘Do you keep 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 likelihood.’ And consider me, ever since that day, he received his likelihood. And consider me, ever since that day, he received his likelihood. I don’t know the way succeeding he was, however I believe he had his likelihood, and consider me, I relished on that time and from today 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 complete occasion. It was 200 bucks. However I paid it, you understand, I had no alternative. I had loads of household, loads of pals I had to usher in. 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 loads of the people who he introduced had been right here to see the man who prevented Stockton from profitable two NBA Championships. MJ laughed on the joke however I wouldn’t be stunned if he additionally received some satisfaction from the considered Stockton paying for tickets for individuals who simply needed to see the GOAT.