Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly had a fierce debate on O’Reilly’s TV show Monday about the hip hop artist Common, and it’s a debate that has some relevance here in our corner of the world because Common (real name: Lonnie Lynn Jr.) is a former Chicago Bulls ball boy.
Long before Common infuriated O’Reilly by getting invited to the White House, he had another brush with greatness: He was the ball boy for Michael Jordan’s first professional game. While working at Chicago Stadium, Common got to know Jordan a little bit, and he recalled in an interview last year how much he, as an 11-year-old, admired the 21-year-old Jordan.
"It was amazing, incredible," said Common. "I’ll always remember that."
Common’s dad, Lonnie Lynn Sr., played basketball at DuSable High School on Chicago’s south side and was later drafted into the NBA and played in the ABA.
As for the Stewart-O’Reilly debate, you can watch it on YouTube below.