Aaron Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He led Rainier Beach High School to a state basketball title and played one season of college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. His NBA debut in 2000 was for the Chicago Bulls, who had acquired him from the Cavaliers on draft day. He would later suit up for the Knicks and Warriors, Hawks and Blazers, Clippers, Timberwolves, and Suns. Having earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2010, in 2014, and again in 2016, Crawford was the first three-time winner of the award. He is regarded as among the best ball handlers in NBA history. Jamal Crawford remains the NBA all-time leader in four-point plays, with 55 in the regular season and 60 total (counting the playoffs). As recently as April 9, 2019, Crawford (39 years, 20 days) became the oldest player to score 50+ points in a game, as well as the first to do so with four different franchises. Further, the 51-point tally reached the most points ever scored by a player not in the starting lineup. In NBA history, he ranks 21st with four 50+ point games accrued (tied with 9 others among George Mikan and Larry Bird) and 8th in career three-point field goals made (2,220). Crawford is the second player in NBA history to have scored 10,000+ career points off the bench.

High school and college career

Growing up in Seattle, Crawford played for Rainier Beach High School, a basketball powerhouse that produced such NBA and college talents as Doug Christie, Nate Robinson, Terrence Williams, Kevin Porter Jr., and Dejounte Murray. Jamal led the Vikings to capture the 1998 WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) State Championship. In 2001, the school retired his number 23 jersey to commemorate his impact; and then in 2018, it inducted him into its Hall of Fame to honor his legacy.

Crawford committed to play college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines on a scholarship. At the start of the season, he incurred a six-game suspension after the NCAA ruled his living arrangement with a Seattle businessman while still in high school retroactively breached its bylaws on amateurism and the receiving of benefits; the University of Michigan protested that their decision misconstrued his pre-college situation, yet to no avail. With the suspension behind him, the six foot five freshman played as a starter for Michigan and contributed averages of 16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. After one season at Michigan, Crawford declared for the 2000 NBA draft.

NBA career

Chicago Bulls (2000–2004)

Crawford was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2000 NBA draft with the 8th overall pick; however, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a draft-day deal that included the rights to Chris Mihm. During his first campaign with the Bulls, he struggled with his shot, shooting only 35.2% from the field; even so, he was able to score in double-figures 10 times. In 61 games, with only 8 of them starting, the rookie notched 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest. Opening the season with the youngest roster in NBA history, with an average of 22.9 years of age and seven rookies, the Bulls who had decided to focus on rebuilding finished with a 15-67 record.

In his second NBA season, injury limited Crawford to 23 games, with 6 of them starts. He nevertheless improved across nearly all statistical categories by posting 9.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest as well as by making 44.8% of his attempts from distance.

In his third campaign with the Bulls, Crawford emerged as a key component of coach Bill Cartwright’s offense. His averages on the season improved in nearly every statistical category, putting up 10.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1 steal in 80 games, of which he started in 31. The Bulls would miss the playoffs with a 30-52 record.

Crawford’s fourth NBA season was to be his last in Chicago. Promoted to the starting shooting guard, he averaged 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.4 steals a night. In his third to last game in a Bulls uniform, Crawford scored 50 points against the Toronto Raptors on April 11, 2004. The Bulls won in overtime, 114-108, but not before Crawford played 51 productive minutes, drilled 6 three-pointers, and recorded 24 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulls finished the season at 23-59 in what was Scottie Pippen’s final year in the NBA. Before the start of the 2004–05 season, Crawford was traded, along with Jerome Williams, to the New York Knicks in exchange for Dikembe Mutombo, Othella Harrington, Frank Williams, and Cezary Trybanski.

New York Knicks (2004–2008)

Crawford joined another young and rebuilding team in the New York Knicks. He started in 67 games in his first year with the franchise while averaging 17.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest. Crawford’s scoring exceeded 20 points in many games, to include the notable one against the Charlotte Bobcats on December 4 during which he tallied 41 points on 17 of 25 shooting. The Knicks would fall short of the playoffs.

In his second season in New York City, Crawford took a reduced sixth-man role under head coach Larry Brown. Crawford embraced the role, and he averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. The Knicks did not make the playoffs that season with a record of 23-59.

For the 2006–2007 season, the Knicks went in a new direction and hired Isiah Thomas to be the new head coach, the team’s fourth replacement of that position in three years. Due to injury, Crawford played in only 59 games; he posted 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.

In 2007–2008, he averaged 20.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 5assists per game. Crawford provided the 23-59 Knicks with one of the few bright spots on January 26, 2007: Not only did he score a career-high 52 points, including 16 shots made in a row, but he hit 8 three-pointers, being one short of the franchise record set in 2002 by Latrell Sprewell. In 2008–2009, Crawford played in 11 games for the Knicks before being traded to the Golden State Warriors for Al Harrington.

Golden State Warriors (2008–2009)

Due to his combined three-point shooting, ball handling, and quickness, Crawford proved an ideal fit in the run-and-gun offense of coach Don Nelson. He played in 54 games for the Warriors, starting in every one of them. Crawford averaged nearly 20 points per contest as well as 4.4 assists and 1.5 rebounds. On December 20, 2008, he scored 50 points in a 110–103 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Crawford became the fourth player in NBA history—after only Wilt Chamberlain, Bernard King, and Moses Malone—to score 50+ points with three teams, having done so with the Bulls, the Knicks, and the Warriors. The Warriors did not qualify for the playoffs. The team traded Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks for guards Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.

Atlanta Hawks (2009–2011)

Crawford joined the Atlanta Hawks in 2009, a team that had made the playoffs the last two seasons. On January 15, 2010, he hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to let the Hawks beat the Phoenix Suns 102-101. In a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on February 3, 2010, Crawford set an NBA record for most career four-point plays, surpassing Reggie Miller. Backing up All-Star guard Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby, he averaged 18points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2assists off the bench. Crawford was a leading candidate for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and won that honor in 2010. The Hawks, led by Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Mike Bibby, as well as by Crawford, qualified for the playoffs; this clinching was to be his first trip to the playoffs, having had the record for longest-tenured player without a playoff game played. Crawford and the Hawks advanced past the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. Crawford led all scorers in the decisive game seven with 22. The team was subsequently swept by the Orlando Magic with a prime Dwight Howard at its helm.

In his second season with Atlanta, the Hawks fired coach Mike Woodson to bring on Larry Drew. Though he was coming off the bench and saw his averages decline from 2009—2010, Crawford had a solid season, posting 14.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per contest. Yet again he was in consideration for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, though it ended up going to Lamar Odom. Having made it to the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks beat the Orlando Magic in a close series, but not before Crawford hit a game-winning three-pointer with six seconds left in Game 3. The Hawks thus advanced to the conference semi-finals, though they were eventually eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in six games.

Portland Trail Blazers (2011–2012)

Crawford signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on December 15, 2011. He averaged nearly 14 points in 60 games while leading the league in free throw percentage with a career-high 92.7 percent in the lockout-shortened season. The Trail Blazers did not make the playoffs with a record of 28-38 (.424).

Los Angeles Clippers (2012–2017)

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

In the 2012–13 season, Crawford posted 16.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 29.3 minutes in the 76 games he played. He also finished 2nd place in voting for the 2013 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, edged out by J. R. Smith. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Clippers were defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies in six games. During the playoffs that year, he averaged 10.8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

During the 2013–14 season, Crawford averaged 18.6 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.3 rebounds in 69 games played. His 18.6 points-per-game was in fact the most ever for a bench player with at least 1,000 points in a season.

On May 8, 2014, Crawford claimed the 2014 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, being his second time winning the honor in his career. Crawford also led all NBA reserves in scoring that season with 18.6 points per game and helped the Clippers finish with their best record in franchise history (57–25).

On December 8, 2014, during the fourth quarter of a game against the Phoenix Suns that the Clippers clinched 121–120 in overtime, Crawford was called for a loose ball foul after getting tangled with Suns’ guard Eric Bledsoe at midcourt. Upon saying something to referee Mark Lindsay, Crawford was hit with a technical, along with his first-ever ejection in his 976-game career.

In a victory over the Phoenix Suns on November 2, 2015, Crawford became the third shooting guard in all of NBA history to reach 16,000 points. On November 14, he scored a game-high 37 points in a 101–96 victory over the Detroit Pistons. On January 10, 2016, he recorded his 46th four-point play of his career in a 114–111 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On April 8, 2016, he made a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds left and finished with 30 points in the Clippers’ 102–99 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz. On April 19, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year for the third time in his career. At 36 years old, he broke his own record, set in 2014, as the oldest winner of the award.

Crawford re-signed with the Clippers on July 8, 2016. By making two of four three-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 2, 2016, Crawford (1,962) passed Vince Carter (1,961) for No. 6 on the NBA’s all-time list for made three-pointers. With a three-pointer at the 2:06 mark of the second quarter in the Clippers’ 118–109 loss to the Toronto Raptors on February 6, 2017, Crawford became the sixth NBA player to reach 2,000 made three-pointers. He joined Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Jason Terry, Vince Carter and Paul Pierce in the 2000 club. During the game, Crawford also passed Eddie Johnson for No. 2 in career NBA bench scoring. Crawford’s tally of 9,572 bench points trails only Dell Curry’s 11,147. He also surpassed Magic Johnson for 74th in career points scored. On February 11 against Charlotte, Crawford scored 22 points while going 5-of-8 on three-pointers. Crawford (2,009) subsequently passed Vince Carter (2,006) for fifth-most three-pointers made in NBA history.

On July 6, 2017, the Clippers traded Crawford and a 2018 first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a salary dump that cleared the way to acquire Danilo Gallinari from the Denver Nuggets via sign-and-trade. The Hawks waived Crawford the following day.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2017–2018)

On July 19, 2017, Crawford signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Debuting for the Timberwolves during their season-opener on October 18, 2017, Crawford scored 10 points in a 107–99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Two days later, he scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter and made a 3-pointer with 27.5 seconds left to help the Timberwolves hold off the Utah Jazz 100–97 in their home-opener. During a 108–107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on December 18, 2017, Crawford made a season-high 23 points in only 23 minutes, with 16 of them scored in the fourth quarter. On March 30, 2018, he had a 24-point effort in a 93–92 win over the Dallas Mavericks. In June 2018, Crawford won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.

Phoenix Suns (2018–2019)

Crawford signed with the Phoenix Suns on October 17, 2018. During a 128–110 victory over the New York Knicks on December 17, Crawford dished out a career-high 14 assists. On January 6, 2019, in a 119–113 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, he finished with 16 points to join Dell Curry as the only NBA players to record 11,000+ career points as a reserve. Per 36 minutes in the 2018–19 season, Crawford averaged 15.1 points to go along with a career-high of 6.8 assists. In league history, only John Stockton has averaged more assists per 36 minutes in their 19th or later season.  

On April 9, 2019, in a 120–109 season finale loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Crawford made NBA history by recording 51 points in his fourth 50-point game to date. At 39 years old and 20 days, he thus broke two NBA records: the oldest player to tally 50+ points—held by Michael Jordan at 38 years and 315 days since December 29, 2001—as well as the most points scored by a player not in the starting lineup, held by Nick Anderson with 50 points since April 23, 1993. During the game, Crawford shot 18-of-30 (60%) from the field, 7-of-13 (53.8%) from three-point range, and 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free-throw line. In addition he had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block coming off the bench. Down by as much as 31 in the third quarter, he rallied Phoenix back into the game, scoring 12 points in succession and bringing the score to 107-103 with 3:39 minutes left in the game. By scoring 28 and 27 points in the previous two games, Crawford joined Kobe Bryant as the only players in league history to record three consecutive 25-plus point games in their 19th or later season.

Personal life

Crawford married his long-time girlfriend Tori Lucas on August 23, 2014. Among those to attend his wedding were Clippers teammates Blake Griffin, Matt Barnes, Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, and Spencer Hawes; also in attendance were NBA players Nate Robinson, a fellow Seattleite, and Isaiah Thomas, likewise from the Puget Sound area.

A staple of the Seattle basketball community, Crawford has organized secret workouts around the city, recruiting a revolving cast of elite-level participants that include the likes of Zach LaVine and Kyrie Irving. Part of his legacy has been as a benefactor to his hometown. Among other charitable community activities, Crawford provides a platform for local players aspiring to progress from amateur status to professional through “The Crawsover” league. This Pro–am summer-league at Seattle Pacific University is among the most prestigious in the country, yet admission is free. Pros such as NBA All-Stars Chris Paul and Kevin Durant have participated in the past.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs