“When the game starts, I would go out there and say ‘You know what, I’m coming off the bench, Superman is gonna check in the game at some point,’ so I gave myself hype and confidence that I’d be ready to go once the game starts.”
Jamal Crawford was definitely a superhero bench player who had a very fruitful 20-year NBA career. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year recently sat down with regional media partners in the latest edition of NBA Connections, an NBA initiative that facilitates opportunities for regional media partners across Asia-Pacific to interact with NBA players and legends.
He talked about a wide range of topics that exhibited his passion for hoops and shared his thoughts about today’s players, teams, and trends surrounding the NBA.
“I love how it's evolved because I always thought it was of such importance,” he said about how the role of the Sixth Man developed over the years. “You look at the guys like Jason Terry or Manu Ginobili or Kevin McHale or Ricky Pierce, they were always such an important piece to winning.”
Crawford is honored that the league is putting value on the team’s best substitute but he also feels that it could put more premium on the position.
“Once they incorporate the Sixth Man into the All-Star Game somehow, that would be terrific,” he said, also mentioning that he loves that star role players off the bench are also being taken care of monetarily like in the case of Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole.
Crawford ended his playing days tied for having the most number of Sixth Man of the Year awards alongside Lou Williams. He shared that he had a pregame routine, including jamming to what he listened to back in high school, to get himself prepared coming off the bench. As a result, he made a career by being an elite offensive threat, scoring in bunches and being a nightmare for opposing defenses.
When he described how to get 30 points off a simple formula of breaking down your scoring opportunities, he talked as though he could get a 30-piece today without even getting into the zone. There was an excitement in how he dived into the current scoring trend where we’ve seen guys score 40 or 50 points with ease.
“When I was coming into the league, the worst shot in basketball was the off-the-dribble 3,” he said, factoring in rule changes and physical play to the scoring wave. “They were like ‘No, you can get that shot within two seconds. Why take that shot?’ Now, if you can do that shot, it’s a weapon. It’s encouraged - you see guys taking 15 3s.”
Crawford was a certified bucket-getter back in his prime and now he enjoys his time being able to contribute to the game in a different way.
“To be honest with you I was scared to retire because I love the game so much. I was like ‘What am I gonna do that’s gonna fill the void of playing the game? I love it more than anything.’ And I didn’t think I would be in the media space,” he said as he is part of TNT’s Inside the NBA crew and one of the hosts of HooperVision on NBA League Pass.
“I didn’t know this was my future and this helped me as well too. [Between] coaching kids, this is the perfect balance for me to get my basketball fix,” he shared. “When you talk about the game, you’re teaching because there’s somebody out there who’s watching and picking up something you’re saying. I didn’t know it would be this gratifying.”
Three years after retiring, Crawford is still very much involved in the game. His passion for hoops is just the same as he was coming off the bench and being a scoring punch. He is excited about where the league is headed especially with highly-anticipated prospects Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson set to debut next season.
“They (Wembanyama and Henderson) understand the responsibility that comes with it. They’re not just happy making it into the NBA. They understand they have to be role models. They understand they have to be professionals,” Crawford said. “They understand they have a lot of work to do and they’re willing and want to do that work. And when you have young players who are going to be the face of the league and who understand that responsibility, the league is in good hands. So I’m excited to watch their journey.”
