Getty Lakers superstar LeBron James
A three-time Sixth Man of the Year talked about Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James on August 23rd’s episode of “The Dan Patrick Show” and the former NBA star had some special things to say about the King.
Jamal Crawford, who played 1,327 NBA games from 2000-01 to 2019-20, spoke to Dan Patrick about how unique it was for James to play in his Crawsover Pro-AM on August 20th.
“It’s like, it’s its own thing,” Crawford said. “It’s its own thing. Lemme tell you a funny story. He was warming up, and our security is supposed to be protecting him, and LeBron goes to shoot and the security tries to contest the shot. I said, ‘We need to get security for security. This is ridiculous.’ So he just has a thing about him where everybody gets excited. So it was amazing to see. He had a great time.”
Fans camped outside of Seattle Pacific University on August 19th once Crawford announced that James was playing in the Crawsover Pro-AM. James was joined by fellow stars Jayson Tatum, Dejounte Murray, Aaron Gordon, Isaiah Thomas, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren.
Crawford: I See Grown Men Turn into Kids with LeBron
Patrick told Crawford that James is still the face of the NBA despite being 37. Crawford, who scored 19,419 points during his storied playing career, agreed with Patrick.
“There’s no doubt about it,” Crawford said. “His excitement level that he generates, it’s like its own thing. I see grown men turn into kids. You see kids just start crying and they melt. And so it’s just amazing to see that in person.”
The Seattle crowd exploded when James entered the gym. It was the first time the NBA legend played in Seattle since January 2007 when the Seattle SuperSonics were still a franchise. Tatum and James teamed up for the game’s top highlight. Tatum threw a lob to James, who finished it with his left hand. LeBron also ended the first quarter with a powerful dunk.
Unfortunately for Crawford, his Pro-AM game with James was cut short.
Game Ended Early
Not long after the Pro-AM game started, condensation became an issue and there were many wet spots on the court. After Milwaukee Bucks rookie MarJon Beauchamp slipped in the second quarter, the contest was called.
“You don’t get a day like this often, but it’s my job to protect everybody’s safety,” Crawford said, via ESPN. “On the court, I couldn’t risk those guys taking a chance of getting hurt. It’s not worth that. It’s supposed to drive inspiration and give hope and they did that. The job was accomplished. Obviously, everybody didn’t get in and everybody probably could never get in. We tried to do the best we can. We tried to provide an experience that we’ve never had before. I thought that overall it was great because I think it’s moments and memories that the kids will never forget.”
James, who recently signed a two-year extension with the Lakers, took to Twitter on August 21st to thank the Seattle fans for coming out. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP had a blast playing in Seattle again.
SEATTLE!! That was SPECIAL yesterday!! WHOA 🤯🤯🤯. Even with us having to stop play because of things we couldn’t control! I appreciate the love and hospitality towards me and my folks who came along for the show! 🫡 to @JCrossover @DejounteMurray @isaiahthomas. 🙏🏾🤎👊🏾👑
James signed his two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers on August 18th. The extension includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.
In 56 starts last season, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists. The future Hall of Famer turns 38 in December, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down.