Common Recalls Michael Jordan Telling Him To “Stick To Rapping And Acting”

Common recalled when Michael Jordan advised him to “stick to rapping and acting.” During an interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Com opened up about MJ giving him some advice after the 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity basketball game.

“I work hard to get into those celebrity basketball games because I love basketball,” Common expressed. “And so many of my friends are watching, so I’m looking to show up and do great. That year I did great. I really thought I was going to get MVP.”

While the rapper thought he “killed it on the court,” MJ didn’t agree with that assessment. He remembered the legendary athlete telling him his true calling was away from the basketball court — far, far away. “I ended up, after the game, going to Michael Jordan’s brand, Jordan’s, party, and he said, ‘Common, come here.’ I gave him a little love and he said in my ear, ‘Stick to rapping and acting,'” he added.

Seth Meyers then gave the emcee his flowers when he won the MVP award a decade later. Com explained how much the award meant to him after they joked about people “not caring that he won.” “I’ve received some awards and I’m very grateful. But this is one I was fighting for, man,” he confessed.

And it seems Common took Mike’s advice seriously. On Monday (Jan. 22), the Chicago native revealed he wants to diversify his acting resumé and join the Spider-Verse franchise.

The poet visited NBC’s Today With Hoda & Jenna to promote his new book, And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self. Common took some behind-the-scenes photos doing Spider-Man push-ups. He uploaded the pictures to Instagram, speaking his desire into the universe. “Tell ’em to put me in the Spider-Verse,” he typed. “How many Spider-Man Push Ups you got?”

Watch Common’s interview with Late Night Wih Seth Meyers above.

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