I will never forget the day the Spurs acquired Matt Bonner in the summer of 2006.
 
I was having a late lunch with my son Karl when I got a call from Raptors' television voice Chuck Swirsky (now the radio voice of the Chicago Bulls).  Swirsky and I had known each other since the early '90s, when he was broadcasting DePaul basketball and I was on the Texas Longhorn Radio Network.  Anyway, Swirsky called to tell me the redheaded forward the Spurs had just picked up in a trade (for Rasho Neterovic) would immediately become one of my favorite guys to work with.  
 
Chuck talked of Matt's easy going nature, sense of humor, and most importantly, his love of music.  It turns out Swirsky was right.  Bonner really is a blue collar, regular guy next door who just happens to rank ninth all time in three point field goal percentage for a career.  He not only loves music, he is close friends with a number of musicians, including members from bands like War on Drugs and Arcade Fire.
 
When I invited Matt to attend a show by my good friend Kenn Kweder (a Philly singer/songwriter/entertainer/troubadour) I had no idea that he would make it a point to attend Kweder shows whenever we were back in my hometown.  Kenn had a matinee gig on the University of Pennsylvania campus on Sunday, and not only did the Red Rocket attend, he brought along his brother Luke, who played hoops at UMass and then overseas).
 
Bonner's favorite Kweder song is the "Ballad of Manute Bol", a tune about the late 7'7 Sudanese center, who played for Washington, Philly and Golden State.  The worlds of music and sports collide quite often, and it's good to know guys like Matt Bonner have a passion for both.