Jamal Crawford facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Jamal Crawford
Personal information
Crawford in 2023
Born	(1980-03-20) March 20, 1980 (age 45) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
High school	Rainier Beach (Seattle, Washington)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College	Michigan (1999–2000)
NBA Draft	2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career	2000–2020
Career history
2000–2004	Chicago Bulls
2004–2008	New York Knicks
2008–2009	Golden State Warriors
2009–2011	Atlanta Hawks
2011–2012	Portland Trail Blazers
2012–2017	Los Angeles Clippers
2017–2018	Minnesota Timberwolves
2018–2019	Phoenix Suns
2020	Brooklyn Nets

Career highlights and awards
3× NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2010, 2014, 2016) Second-team Parade All-American (1999)

Career statistics
Points	19,419 (14.6 ppg)
Rebounds	2,948 (2.2 rpg)
Assists	4,541 (3.4 apg)

Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000 to 2020. People often called him "J-Crossover" because he was amazing at handling the ball. Many think he was one of the best ball handlers ever in the NBA. Crawford won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award three times, which is a record he shares with another player named Lou Williams.

Jamal Crawford holds many special records. He was once the NBA player with the most "four-point plays" in history. A four-point play happens when a player makes a three-point shot and also gets fouled, then makes the free throw. On April 9, 2019, he became the oldest player to score more than 50 points in an NBA game. He was also the first player to score 50 points for four different teams! His 51 points in that game were also the most ever scored by a reserve player (someone who comes off the bench). In NBA history, Crawford is tied for 29th place with four games where he scored 50 or more points. He is also 12th all-time in making three-point field goals, with 2,221 made. Crawford is only the second player in NBA history to score over 10,000 points while coming off the bench. After retiring from playing, he started working as a basketball commentator.

High School Basketball Days
College Basketball Journey
Professional NBA Career
Broadcasting Career
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

High School Basketball Days

Jamal Crawford grew up in South Seattle. He played basketball for Rainier Beach High. This school has helped many other NBA and college players get their start, like Doug Christie and Nate Robinson. In 1998, Jamal led his team, the Vikings, to win the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) State Championship. To honor his great impact, Rainier Beach High retired his number 23 jersey in 2001. Later, in 2018, they added him to their Hall of Fame.

College Basketball Journey

Jamal earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan. He decided to play college basketball for the Wolverines under coach Brian Ellerbe. But at the start of the 1999–00 season, he was suspended for six games by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They said that how he lived in high school went against their rules about amateurism (playing for fun, not money). The university disagreed with this rule, but it didn't change anything. After his suspension, Crawford joined the starting lineup. He played well, averaging 16.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game that season. After his first year, he decided to enter the 2000 NBA draft.

Professional NBA Career

Playing for the Chicago Bulls (2000–2004)

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked Crawford 8th overall in the 2000 NBA draft. But they quickly traded him to the Chicago Bulls on draft day. In his first year with the Bulls, during the 2000–01 season, Crawford had some trouble with his shooting. He only made 35.2 percent of his shots. Even so, as a rookie, he scored double-digit points in 10 games. He averaged 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 61 games, starting in 8 of them.

In his second NBA season, 2001–02, Jamal was limited to 23 games because of an injury. But he still got better in almost all his stats. He averaged 9.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He also made 44.8 percent of his shots from behind the three-point line.

During his third season with the Bulls, 2002–03, Crawford became a very important player for coach Bill Cartwright's team. His averages improved even more to 10.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1 steal per game. He played in 80 games and started in 31. The Bulls did not make it to the NBA playoffs that year.

His fourth NBA season, 2003–04, was his last in Chicago. He became the starting shooting guard and averaged 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. On April 11, 2004, he scored an amazing 50 points against the Toronto Raptors. This was one of his last games as a Bull. The Bulls won in overtime, 114–108. Crawford made 6 three-pointers and scored 24 points in the fourth quarter alone! Before the 2004–05 season began, he was traded to the New York Knicks.

Time with the New York Knicks (2004–2008)

Crawford with the New York Knicks

Crawford joined another young team that was trying to rebuild, the New York Knicks. In his first year with them, the 2004–05 season, he played 70 games and started in 67. He averaged 17.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He scored over 20 points in many games, including a great win over the Charlotte Bobcats where he scored 41 points. The Knicks did not make the playoffs that year.

In his second year in New York City, the 2005–06 season, he took on a new role as a sixth man under coach Larry Brown. A sixth man is a player who doesn't start the game but is usually the first player to come off the bench and play a lot of minutes. Crawford eventually liked this new role. He averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 79 games, starting in 27. The Knicks did not make the playoffs again.

For the 2006–07 season, the Knicks changed coaches again, bringing in Isiah Thomas. Crawford played in 59 games due to an ACL injury, but he still averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.

In the 2007–08 season, he was back in the starting lineup for all 80 games he played. He averaged 20.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 5 assists. On January 26, 2007, Crawford had one of the few bright moments for the Knicks that season: He scored a career-high 52 points! He made 16 shots in a row and 8 three-pointers in that game. In the 2008–09 season, he played only 11 games for the Knicks before being traded to the Golden State Warriors.

Playing for the Golden State Warriors (2008–2009)

Crawford with the Warriors

Crawford was a perfect fit for coach Don Nelson's fast-paced "run-and-gun" offense. He was great at shooting three-pointers, handling the ball, and seeing the court. He played in 54 games for the Warriors in the 2008–09 season and started every one. Crawford averaged almost 20 points per game, along with 4.4 assists and 1.5 rebounds. On December 20, 2008, he scored 50 points in a win over the Charlotte Bobcats. This made him only the fourth player in NBA history to score 50+ points with three different teams! At the end of the season, the Atlanta Hawks traded for Crawford.

Time with the Atlanta Hawks (2009–2011)

Crawford joined the Atlanta Hawks for their 2009–10 season. On January 15, he made a three-point shot right at the buzzer to win the game 102–101 against the Phoenix Suns. On February 3, 2010, Crawford set an NBA record for the most career four-point plays, passing Reggie Miller. He played as a backup to All-Star guard Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby. He averaged 18 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2 assists while coming off the bench. Crawford was a top choice for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and won it in 2010. The Hawks, led by players like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Mike Bibby, and Crawford, made it to the playoffs. This was Jamal's first time playing in the NBA playoffs! The Hawks won their first series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Crawford led all scorers in the final game of that series with 22 points. However, the team then lost to the Orlando Magic.

Crawford in 2011

In the 2010–11 season, the Hawks got a new coach, Larry Drew. Even though Crawford was still coming off the bench and his scoring averages went down a little, he had a good season. He averaged 14.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He was again considered for the Sixth Man of the Year Award. The Hawks made it to the playoffs as the 5th seed. They beat the Orlando Magic in a close series, with Crawford making a game-winning three-pointer with six seconds left in Game 3. The Hawks moved on to the next round but were then eliminated by the Chicago Bulls.

Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers (2011–2012)

Crawford signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on December 15, 2011. He averaged almost 14 points in 60 games. He also led the league in free throw percentage that season, making a career-high 92.7 percent of his free throws.

Time with the Los Angeles Clippers (2012–2017)

On July 11, 2012, Crawford signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Crawford being defended by Trevor Ariza

In the 2012–13 season, Crawford averaged 16.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 76 games. He finished second in the voting for the 2013 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. In the playoffs, the Clippers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies.

In the 2013–14 season, Crawford was the top scorer among all reserve players in the league, averaging 18.6 points per game. He also had 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds. He came off the bench in 45 of the 69 games he played.

On May 8, 2014, Crawford won the 2014 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. This was his second time winning this important award! Crawford also helped the Clippers have their best season ever, with 57 wins and 25 losses.

On December 8, 2014, during a game against the Phoenix Suns, Crawford was called for a foul. After saying something to the referee, he received a technical foul and was ejected from the game. This was his first time being ejected in his long career.

During a win over the Phoenix Suns on November 2, 2015, Crawford scored enough points to pass 16,000 career points. On November 14, he scored a game-high 37 points in a win over the Detroit Pistons. On January 10, 2016, he made his 46th four-point play of his career. On April 8, 2016, he made a three-pointer with only 0.2 seconds left to win the game for the Clippers in overtime. On April 19, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year for the third time! At 36 years old, he broke his own record as the oldest player to win the award.

Crawford signed again with the Clippers on July 8, 2016. On December 2, 2016, he passed Vince Carter to become 6th all-time in NBA history for made three-pointers. On February 6, 2017, Crawford made his 2,000th three-pointer, becoming only the sixth NBA player to reach that milestone. He joined famous players like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller in the "2000 club." During that same game, he also passed Eddie Johnson for second place in career points scored off the bench. On February 11, he passed Vince Carter again to become fifth all-time in three-pointers made.

On July 6, 2017, the Clippers traded Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks then released him the next day.

Playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves (2017–2018)

On July 19, 2017, Crawford signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his first game for the Timberwolves on October 18, 2017, Crawford scored 10 points. Two days later, he scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping the Timberwolves win. On December 18, 2017, Crawford scored a season-high 23 points in only 23 minutes, with 16 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. In June 2018, Crawford won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, which recognizes the best teammate in the NBA.

Time with the Phoenix Suns (2018–2019)

Crawford signed with the Phoenix Suns on October 17, 2018. On December 17, Crawford had a career-high 14 assists in a win over the New York Knicks. On January 6, 2019, he scored 16 points, joining Dell Curry as the only NBA players to score over 11,000 career points as a reserve. In the 2018–19 season, Crawford averaged 15.1 points and a career-high 6.8 assists per 36 minutes of play. Only John Stockton has averaged more assists per 36 minutes in their 19th season or later.

On April 9, 2019, in the last game of the season, Crawford made NBA history by scoring 51 points. This was his fourth game with 50 or more points. At 39 years and 20 days old, he broke two NBA records: He became the oldest player to score 50+ points (beating Michael Jordan's record) and he scored the most points ever by a player who didn't start the game (beating Nick Anderson's record). In that game, Crawford shot very well, making 18 of 30 shots. He also had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He helped Phoenix make a big comeback in the game. By scoring 28 and 27 points in the two games before this, Crawford joined Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history to score 25+ points in three straight games in their 19th season or later. He also became the only player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game with four different teams.

Playing for the Brooklyn Nets (2020)

On July 9, 2020, the Brooklyn Nets announced they had signed Crawford to play for the rest of the 2019–20 season. Four Nets players decided not to play because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to Crawford joining the team. He played his first game for the Nets on August 4, 2020. He became the oldest active player in the NBA at 40 years and 137 days old. He also became the oldest Nets player to ever play in a game. He was the eighth player in NBA history to play in 20 different seasons. He scored five points and had three assists in five minutes before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. This was his only game for the Nets, and he did not play in their playoff games.

His one game for the Nets ended up being his last NBA game. Jamal Crawford officially announced his retirement from the league on March 21, 2022.

Broadcasting Career

After retiring from playing, Crawford started working as a game commentator for NBA League Pass in November 2021. He became a regular analyst for The NBA on TNT starting in the 2022-23 season. He also joined the Tuesday studio team. He left these roles after the 2023–24 season. Crawford has signed with MSG Network to commentate on some New York Knicks games starting in the 2024–25 NBA season. He is also set to join the NBA on NBC as a lead game analyst starting in the 2025–26 NBA season.

Personal Life

Jamal Crawford married his long-time girlfriend, Tori Lucas, on August 23, 2014. Many of his Clippers teammates, like Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, attended his wedding. Other NBA players, including Nate Robinson and Isaiah Thomas, who are also from the Seattle area, were there too.

Crawford is a very important part of the Seattle basketball community. He has organized secret workouts in the city, where top players like Zach LaVine and Kyrie Irving come to play. He is known for helping his hometown. One of his charitable activities is providing a way for local players to go from amateur to professional through "The Crawsover" league. This Pro–am summer league at Seattle Pacific University is one of the most famous in the country, and it's free to attend. Professional players like NBA All-Stars Chris Paul and Kevin Durant have played in it before.