Everyone has seen it. You’re scrolling through X (formerly Twitter) after a massive upset in the NBA playoffs, or maybe your favorite political candidate just lost a primary, and there it is. The puffed-out lower lip. The glistening, bloodshot eyes. The specific shade of 2009-era suit fabric.
The michael jordan crying face is the undisputed heavyweight champion of internet misery.
It’s been over fifteen years since the photo was taken, yet it feels as fresh as a post from five minutes ago. Why? Because it’s the perfect visual shorthand for "taking an L." It’s the ultimate schadenfreude. When you see that face plastered onto a failing CEO or a mascot’s head, you don’t need a caption. You already know the vibes are immaculate—and by immaculate, I mean terrible.
The Night a Legend Sprung a Leak
Let’s go back to September 11, 2009. Springfield, Massachusetts.
Michael Jordan was being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Most people expected a standard, "I’m so humbled" speech. Instead, MJ gave one of the pettiest, most competitive, and rawest speeches in sports history. He literally invited Leroy Smith—the guy who made the varsity team over him in high school—just to remind everyone he hadn’t forgotten the slight.
He was fired up. He was also incredibly emotional.
As he walked to the podium, the tears started flowing. Associated Press photographer Stephan Savoia was there in the trenches. He snapped the shot. At the time, Savoia didn't think he’d captured the most viral image of the century. He just thought he’d captured a legend showing some rare, human vulnerability.
"I didn't even know what a meme was," Savoia later admitted in interviews. Honestly, nobody really did in the way we do now.
From a Photo to a Phenomenon
The photo didn't go viral immediately. It sat in the AP archives for years. It wasn't until around 2012 that someone on the internet—specifically users on the message board Boxden—started playing around with it.
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The first real "hit" was a post about MJ’s disastrous ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets). Someone took the michael jordan crying face and used it to describe the pain of watching a 7-59 season. It fit too well. The greatest winner in history was now the face of losing.
By 2014 and 2015, the floodgates opened. It wasn't just sports anymore. It was everywhere.
- Your mom ate your Halloween candy? Crying Jordan.
- The Powerball numbers didn't match? Crying Jordan.
- Your favorite TV character died? You guessed it.
Why the Michael Jordan Crying Face Still Ranks
Google 2026 is a weird place, but some things remain constant. People search for this meme because it’s the "Gold Standard." It has outlasted "Distracted Boyfriend" and survived longer than any Vine-era joke.
There’s a psychological reason for this. It’s the juxtaposition. Michael Jordan is the "GOAT." He is the personification of winning, of 6-0 in the Finals, of "The Last Dance" intensity. Seeing that man look like he just dropped his ice cream cone on the sidewalk creates a hilarious contrast.
It humanizes the untouchable.
Also, let’s be real: the craftsmanship of some of these Photoshops is insane. People have turned his face into a constellation, a piece of fried chicken, and even a map of the United States during election nights. It’s a creative outlet for collective grief.
Does MJ Actually Hate It?
This is the question everyone asks. If you were the greatest athlete to ever live, would you want your legacy to be a blurry photo of you sobbing?
Probably not.
His longtime friend Charles Oakley famously said that Jordan "is not a fan" of the meme. He doesn't like it. He doesn't get it. And frankly, why would he? He’s Michael Jordan. He has hundreds of millions of dollars and a private golf course. He doesn't need to understand why a teenager in Ohio is putting his face on a taco.
However, his legal team is famously protective. They monitor the michael jordan crying face for commercial use. If you try to sell a T-shirt with his crying face on it, expect a "Cease and Desist" faster than a MJ breakaway dunk. But for "personal use" on social media? They can't stop the internet. No one can.
How to Use the Meme Without Being "Cringe"
If you’re going to use the michael jordan crying face in 2026, you have to be careful. It’s an "old" meme now. If you just post the raw photo, you look like a "normie" who just discovered the internet.
To rank in the "funny" category today, you need to go meta.
- The Invisible MJ: Use the outline of the tears but on a completely different object.
- The Self-Burn: Trolling yourself with the meme is always more acceptable than trolling others.
- High-Effort Blending: The better the Photoshop (matching the lighting, the skin texture, the shadows), the more respect it gets.
Basically, if it looks like you spent more than thirty seconds on it, the internet will still give you a pass.
The Legacy of the Tear
We’ve seen other contenders. We had the "Crying LeBron" during the 2016 Finals. We had the "Crying Embiid" in the tunnel. None of them stuck.
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The michael jordan crying face is different because it represents a specific kind of "all-is-lost" despair. It’s the face of a man who realizes that despite all his greatness, some things are just out of his control. It’s a universal emotion captured in a single, grainy frame.
Whether he likes it or not, Michael Jordan has two legacies. One involves six rings and a pair of sneakers that changed the world. The other involves a few salty drops of water and a billion retweets.
Actionable Next Steps
If you want to dive deeper into the history of internet culture or see how sports icons handle their digital legacies, you should:
- Audit your brand’s social media: If you’re a business, avoid using the MJ crying face for commercial ads. The copyright risk is real, as the Associated Press and Jordan’s team are still active in protecting the image's rights.
- Study the "Savoia Shot": Look at the original 2009 Hall of Fame speech video. Seeing the context of his "petty" speech makes the meme significantly funnier once you realize he was actually in the middle of roasting his enemies while he cried.
- Explore the "Crying Jordan" App: Yes, there are still apps and browser extensions that allow you to quickly mask the face onto any image. Use them for your group chats, but keep them off your professional LinkedIn profile.