Common Recalls Michael Jordan's Candid Assessment of His Basketball Skills

Common recalls Michael Jordan’s survey of his skills at 2010 celebrity basketball, but unfortunately was unimpressed by the skills of the singer.

In a recently published interview with Men’s Health, the 51-year-old musician and actor, Common, shares his Chicago upbringing, where basketball aspirations gave way to a music career due to a high school injury.

Common recalls Michael Jordan during a celebrity basketball game in 2010, the 60-year-old Jordan assessed Common’s performance and, unfortunately, found it lacking, as revealed by the “The People” singer. Common had previously served as a ball-boy for the Chicago Bulls, Jordan’s former team.

“I just played in the celebrity game and hit the last free throws to seal the game,” Common said in the outlet’s video footage. But when he greeted the NBA star, “He told me to stick to rapping.”

“I couldn’t believe that he couldn’t recognize that my game was actually a good game,” Common added humorously, reflecting on how Jordan’s comment playfully “brought him back down to earth.”

Although the sports luminary may not have been captivated by Common’s basketball prowess, he did admire the artist’s music, having attended one of his shows at Chicago’s House of Blues. Wisely, Common refrained from alerting the crowd to Jordan’s presence until his final song.

“I was smart enough to do that at the end of the show,” Common remarked with a grin, acknowledging that “everyone’s attention shifted to him, and I faded into the background.”

Seeking to impress another prominent public figure, this time in the realm of politics, Common, in 2021, shared his fondness for basketball during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He recounted how he was poised to face off against former President Barack Obama in a one-on-one basketball game, a gift orchestrated by his mother’s close connection to an individual associated with the president.

“My mother actually is really great friends with somebody who works for that president. And for one of my birthdays, she got me a gift that I was supposed to play President Obama in a 1:1 in basketball,” he explained. “It was years ago, and I never got to fulfill that prophecy.”

Common further expressed his deep love for basketball and his determination to bring his A-game should the opportunity to compete against the former commander-in-chief ever materialize.

“I was fully prepared to take him on and emerge victorious, regardless of the circumstances,” he asserted. “Whether he was the president of the Secret Service was present, I was resolute. While I hold great respect for Michelle and the entire family, my goal was to outplay Barack Obama.”