In one of our favorite conversations on The Pivot, Ryan, Channing and Fred talk with NBA legend Jamal Crawford on everything from his basketball journey to Michael Jordan bond to fatherhood to life after the game and importance of legacy. Whether it is starting roles or years of advice, he’s given back a lot to the game he loves, and on this episode we get a rare glimpse of how one person can have so much love and gratitude for a sport.

When people bring up the greatest ball handlers basketball has ever seen, there is a shortlist of guys who make that group, with most of the players being shorter point guards who have made a living off of facilitating NBA games and dominating other small defenders. At 6’5”, Jamal cemented himself as one of the best isolation players from the shooting guard position and adapted a “whatever it takes” mentality to win which led to Jamal being named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year three times and the 2018 NBA Teammate of the Year which meant the most to him because it was always about who he is over what he is that matters.

As a young man growing up in LA and Seattle, Jamal shares how a random but timely interaction with Paul Pierce pushed him to be in school and approach his grades with as much love and detail as he did basketball, and once he started, the opportunities started flowing.

His natural ball handling skills and unique approach to the sport paved a path not many can walk professional sports, but Jamal did it was class and respect, being clear that playing basketball was never about changing his circumstances, rather it was always about his pure love for the sport and the magic feeling that took over his body every time he touched a ball.

It was after getting drafted where Jamal’s ability and basketball career truly took off and how meeting one man, forever changed his life. Sharing never-told-before stories to The Pivot, Jamal opens up how Michael Jordan took him under his wing and explains how their close knit bond on and off the court was formed. MJ deemed Jamal his go-to partner in summer ball and the duo never lost while attracting stars and celebs to their pick up games. By developing this life-long bond with the GOAT, Jamal understands how that bond changed his life on every level by just knowing he had the “Greatest Ever” in his corner, helped his career skyrocket and he even shares some off-the-court stories between the two from gambling to parties to hard lessons.

After listening to Jamal talk his basketball journey, how he approached the game, his love for the sport and ability to easily talk any aspect and break down players and plays, Ryan called him a “Basketball Nerd”, a compliment to how much he truly loves the game.

Before closing out the conversation, Jamal talks fatherhood, what it’s like coaching his son and the lessons learned through this experience. The current on-air analyst gives his take on the current NBA playoff picture, his comparison of Kyrie and Jokic and how Wembley is the emerging face of the game for years to come. Crawford has always been an analyzer, hyper-aware of all that is going on around him, and his breakdown of any situation proves just that. He may not have an All-Star appearance to his name, but he tells the guys that’s part of his story of what he gave back to a game that gave him so much.

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