NBA news: Jamal Crawford announces retirement after 20-year career
The Minnesota Timberwolves' Jamal Crawford (11) drives to the basket
Jamal Crawford has officially announced his retirement after being out of the league since 2019, with the exception of a one-game run with the Brooklyn Nets down in the Orlando bubble in 2020.
In his last non-bubble NBA game, Crawford went off for 51 points, as he became the oldest NBA player to drop at least 50 points in a game, putting him ahead of the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Karl Malone.
Crawford enjoyed a 20-year career in the NBA, with stints for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, and Nets.
Crawford earned the nickname "J-Crossover" for his knack for breaking people's ankles and either pulling up for jumpers anywhere on the court or finishing at the rim for some acrobatic layups.
Best sixth man of all-time?
Crawford is tied with Lou Williams for the most Sixth Man of the Year Awards of all time, as he has three of them.
Crawford established himself as an automatic bucket off the bench when he was with the Hawks, as he transitioned seamlessly from a role as a starter to someone who could come off your bench and still light up the opposing team for at least 30 points on any given night.
Crawford was a huge part of the "Lob City" Clippers era, providing a steady scoring presence whenever Chris Paul and/or Blake Griffin needed a rest.
Crawford was more than good enough to be a starter in the NBA. Heck, he should've been an All-Star at some point in his career, as he is eighth all-time in three-point makes with 2,221 of them and has registered four 50 point games throughout his entire career. But he took everything in stride and was always willing to do what was best for his team.
Before Crawford established himself as an elite Sixth Man, he was starring for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, being the beacon of light for an otherwise hopeless franchise at the time.
That's where Crawford really broke out, as he would light up The Garden faithful with his dazzling display of crossovers and how he made scoring the ball look easy.
Crawford's best moment as a Knick came when he dropped 52 points in front of his home crowd on January 26, 2007, as he also drilled eight three-pointers, which tied Latrell Sprewell's franchise record for most threes made in a game by a Knick.
There is a genuine debate of who the best Sixth Man of all time is between Crawford, Lou Will, and Manu Ginobili, but what can't be debated is how amazing of a basketball player he was.
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