Jump to content

Lonnie Lynn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jevansen (talk | contribs) at 05:46, 30 July 2024 (Moving from Category:21st-century African-American people to Category:21st-century African-American sportspeople using Cat-a-lot). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For his son, Lonnie Rashid Lynn the musician, see Common (rapper).

Lonnie Lynn
Personal information
Born(1943-05-24)May 24, 1943
Chicago, Illinois
DiedSeptember 12, 2014(2014-09-12) (aged 71)
Denver, Colorado
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolDuSable (Chicago, Illinois)
College
NBA draft1966: 12th round, 99th overall pick
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
PositionSmall forward
Number19
Career history
1969Denver Rockets
1970Pittsburgh Pipers
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Lonnie Lynn Jr.[1] (May 24, 1943 – September 12, 2014), nicknamed "Pops", was an American basketball player.

Life and career

Lynn was born on May 24, 1943, in Chicago, the son of Mabel and Lonnie Lynn, a construction worker.[2][3]

At 6'7" and 215 lb, he was a forward and played basketball at DuSable High School on Chicago's south side before moving on to Wilberforce University and Upper Iowa University.[4]

Lynn was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in the 12th round of the 1966 NBA draft and later played one season for the Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association in 1969–70, averaging 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.[4]

Once known to Chicagoans for his play at DuSable High School, Lonnie Lynn gathered a following in the rap world. Father of rapper Common, Lynn performed on several of his son's albums.[5]

On his son's records, Lynn shared opinions, experiences and wisdom to a younger hip hop audience in spoken word poetry format. Many of these appearances, in particular "Pops Rap" on Resurrection, feature Lynn discussing the hippie ideals that have found their way into hip hop culture. In an article for National Public Radio, journalist Robert Siegel wrote of Lonnie "Pops" Lynn:

Lonnie "Pops" Lynn is the father of the rapper Common, and a regular contributor to his son's albums. Lynn's spoken poetry graces the last song on each CD. Lynn says tells Robert Siegel Common's influence set Lynn himself on the right path.[5]

— Robert Siegel

Lynn had six other children aside from Common.

Although he was reared in Chicago, Lynn was greatly affected by visits to the South during his youth and the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a fellow Chicagoan.

Death

Lynn died of prostate cancer on September 12, 2014, at the age of 71.[6][2]

References

  1. ^ "Common At The White House: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Goldsborough, Bob (September 24, 2014). "Lonnie Lynn Sr. performed on son Common's albums". Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ Jackson, Steve (August 21, 1997). "The Education of Lonnie Lynn". Westword.
  4. ^ a b "Lonnie Lynn Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Siegel, Robert (June 17, 2005). "'Pops' Contributes to Rapper Common's Cause". NPR. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  6. ^ "Rapper Common's father, Lonnie Lynn, dies at 71". New York Daily News. September 16, 2014.
Stub icon

This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Lonnie_Lynn&oldid=1237517973"