In Photos: Michael Jordan adds star power to Dwight Freeney's Hall of Fame induction
Michael Jordan made a rare public appearance on Saturday. The NBA great attended the induction ceremony of his good friend and XLI Super Bowl Champion Dwight Freeney into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jordan was seen laughing and talking to the other attendees during the induction ceremony.
The Chicago Bulls legend also joined Freeney on stage and hugged him as he took the stage. The Pro Football Hall of Fame's X (formerly Twitter) account posted a picture of Jordan talking to his friend while wearing an off-white shirt over a brown t-shirt. Freeney was dressed in his Hall of Fame induction yellow collared t-shirt.
Jordan and Dwight Freeney’s friendship goes back 20 years. They became friends through a common love for golf. According to Golf Digest, Jordan and the 2004 NFL sacks leader are teammates at The Grove XXIII, which is an exclusive golf course situated in Hobe Sound, Florida.
The NFL legend told Golf Digest that he is one of the nearly 100 people who are invited to play at the exclusive club. He also said that he is not just a good friend of Jordan but also considers him a “big brother.” The club, according to Freeney, has no rules except that players are expected not to be a jerk.
Michael Jordan planned Dwight Freeney’s HoF reveal surprise
According to Steve Wyche from NFL Network, Michael Jordan took the responsibility to surprise his friend Dwight Freeney with his Hall of Fame induction.
“When it comes to Dwight Freeney, the person who developed the ruse to surprise him in person was Michael Jordan. Dwight Freeney and Jordan play golf together on Michael Jordan’s course outside of Jupiter, Florida at least four days a week," Steve Wyche said on Friday's episode of "The Rich Eisen Show."
"To Dwight Freeney, it was a routine golf outing with Michael Jordan. But MJ and Dwight’s wife and a couple of people set it up so that Tony Dungy and our crew and Jim Porter would be there to surprise him… And Dwight walks in the door and there’s Tony.”
According to Steve Wyche, Jordan also told Freeney to dress nicer and not just in a t-shirt because he had planned a special picture session for Grove 23. As competitive as Jordan was, he always cared about his teammates and he always found happiness in the success of others around him.