Aaron Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000 to 2020. Nicknamed "J-Crossover", he is regarded as one of the best ball handlers in NBA history. Also regarded as one of the best sixth men in league's history, Crawford was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year three times, a record he shares with Lou Williams.
Among other distinctions, Crawford was once the NBA’s all-time leader in career four-point plays. On April 9, 2019, he became not only the oldest player to score 50+ points in an NBA game, but also the first player to have 50-point outings with four franchises. The 51-point tally also reached the most points ever scored by a reserve. and 13th all-time in career three-point field goals made (2,221). Crawford is the second player in NBA history to have scored 10,000+ career points off the bench. In 2021, he began providing commentary on NBA League Pass, The NBA on TNT until 2024, and on select games of MSG Network's coverage of the New York Knicks starting in 2024.
High school career
Growing up in South Seattle, Crawford played for Rainier Beach High, a school that has produced a number of other NBA and college players such as Doug Christie, Nate Robinson, Terrence Williams, Kevin Porter Jr., and Dejounte Murray. Jamal led the Vikings to capture the 1998 Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) State Championship. In 2001, Rainier Beach retired his number 23 jersey to commemorate his impact; and in 2018, it inducted him into its Hall of Fame to honor his legacy.
College career
Having earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan, Crawford committed to play college basketball with the Wolverines under coach Brian Ellerbe. At the start of the 1999–00 season, however, he incurred a six-game suspension from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); it retroactively ruled that his high school living arrangement had breached its bylaws on amateurism.