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WATCH: Barack Obama cracks up crowd as he gives basketball stars Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Presidential Medals of Freedom

Greats awarded US’s highest civilian honour in star-studded ceremony

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U.S. President Barack Obama presents Michael Jordan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 honoring 21 recipients in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)
SCMP Reporter

US President Barack Obama cracked up a crowd in the White House East Room as he bestowed America’s highest civilian honour on former basketball greats Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“When he was five years old, Michael Jordan nearly cut off his big toe with a ax,” Obama joked. “If things had gone differently Air Jordans may not have taken flight. I mean, you don’t want to buy a shoe with one toe missing.

“Michael Jordan is . . . more than just an internet meme,” he added, referring to the ‘Crying Jordan’ image that swept the internet this year.

Ironically, Jordan appeared to shed a couple of tears at the star-studded ceremony, which also honoured stars from entertainment, business and the arts such as Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Bill and Melinda Gates, and architect Frank Gehry.

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Michael Jordan, former National Basketball Association (NBA) player, listens as U.S. President Barack Obama, not pictured, speaks during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016. The Nations highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is presented to individuals who have made contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, cultural or other significant public and private endeavors. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Michael Jordan, former National Basketball Association (NBA) player, listens as U.S. President Barack Obama, not pictured, speaks during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016. The Nations highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is presented to individuals who have made contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, cultural or other significant public and private endeavors. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

“We’ve got ... renowned character actors like the guy from Space Jam,” was one of Obama’s biggest laugh lines, referring to Jordan’s role in the 1996 animated movie.

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