Stevie Wonder is apparently a master at skills beyond songwriting, vocals, and the keys. According to Johnny Gill, the music legend also reigns supreme when it come to air hockey.
During a recent sit-down with the On That Note podcast hosted by Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, Gill shared an unforgettable story about the musical impresario. Around the 33-minute mark of the conversation, Gill opened up about a surprising moment of friendly competition that completely blind sided himself, Keith Sweat, and the late Gerald Levert.
“That guy beat all three of us, whipped our a** in air hockey. I’ll never forget,” Gill recalled, with disbelief still in his voice. “Steve was the master of air hockey.” Stockman then pointed out the obvious—that air hockey relies heavily on sight. “I told Keith, I was like, ‘Yo, man, we can’t tell nobody this sh*t,” Gill continued, before humorously adding, “I swear to God, he beat all three of us. And I said, ‘I don’t care what you say, motherf**ker, you can see.’”
“[Wonder’s] reflex is so quick and he was boom, boom, and serve it right back and I’m going, ‘Yo, man. There’s no way, man’. … I told Keith and we promised we would never tell nobody,” he reenacted the game. The “My, My, My” crooner didn’t give a precise timing of when the legendary match took place, but assumably it would’ve happened before 2006—the year Gerald Levert tragically passed away.
Gill’s revelation isn’t the first time someone has accused the “Ribbon In The Sky” phenom of being able to see, although he is blind.
Last year, Carmelo Anthony recounted a surprising and amusing encounter with Wonder that left a lasting impression. On an episode of his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, Anthony looked back on the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, recalling a moment in the locker room when he crossed paths with the music icon. At the time, Anthony was playing for the New York Knicks.
To his surprise, Wonder embraced him warmly and said, “I love watching you play.” The comment caught everyone off guard—including Anthony’s co-hosts Rudy Gay, Kazeem Famuyide, and The Kid Mero, who all burst into laughter at the idea.
Shaquille O’Neal also shared a memorable story about the 74-year-old that added to the ongoing curiosity surrounding the music legend’s vision.
During a 2019 episode of Inside the NBA, Shaq recounted an encounter that left him completely stunned. “I’m going to tell y’all a Stevie Wonder story, but y’all not gonna believe me,” he began. O’Neal then went on to explain the “true story” that both he and Wonder once lived in the same building and had an encounter on the elevator.
“He comes in, says ‘What’s up, Shaq?’ Presses the button, gets off on his floor by himself, goes to his room,” he recalled. “I went and called every person I knew and told the story. They didn’t believe me… He got on the elevator was like, ‘What’s up, Shaq, how you doing big dog?’ got out and gone. Yes he did.”
Just like Gill and Melo’s stories, the encounter left O’Neal marveling at Wonder’s seemingly impossible awareness—proving once again that his mystique extends far beyond his music.
Leave a comment