President Obama Made An Amazing ‘Space Jam’ Joke In Front Of Michael Jordan

On Tuesday, President Obama hosted the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House, honoring 21 people who have “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.” It’s an event that he admits being especially fond of, presumably because he gets to rub elbows with legendary A-list actors like Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, and Tom Hanks, as well as iconic music artists like Diana Ross and Bruce Springsteen.

Of course, Obama loves his sports stars, too. This year’s recipients include longtime Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Jordan. As you can see in the above clip from the opening of the ceremony, Obama isn’t afraid to fire friendly shots at the GOAT, calling Jordan “the guy from Space Jam.” It’s like Tony Allen ran through the room, because Jordan could only laugh at the chief’s excellent burn. Probably because Obama had a Crying Jordan joke ready, too.

When it came to presenting Abdul-Jabbar, Obama proved that he could easily have a career in sports, as he told the story of how the big man’s dominance changed college basketball.

Obama even quoted Airplane!. Forget the sports career. Let’s get Obama and Joe Biden their own podcast about ‘80s and ‘90s movies. You know Biden’s just aching to talk about Road House for two hours.