Point God is a production of I Heart Radio. I thought it over my neck, I shoot it and I started running the other way. I didn't watch it going instead of doing I was doing that. It turned before the crowd lost. I got that on video. So there's so many plays. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Donalds and cats, animals and pets, people, my people. Welcome to the Point God Podcast Show presented by Slick I heard media is the label I am your host. Baron Davis, a K A Bowe, Distel, a K A B Diddy a K too Easy, and the Point Guy Podcast Show is a show that goes into the minds of the originals. What does it mean to be a point God? Someone who has God given talent and leadership, creativity, vision, um you know, uh, artistry right, the thinkers, the doers, the scores, the creators right, the masterminds behind the game. Now, Ladies and gentlemen, this is a special one. Helling from Seattle to l A, to Seattle to l A back to Seattle. The Doctor Funk, the King of Bob, the lean, mean machine with the range, the in between, the best with finesse, hand on a string, basketball on a yo yo, a painter, artists, a visionary, a real life in three D moment, an icon maker, and one of the most incredible human beings you will ever get to know. Almanac and Encyclopedia of Information, The Inspector, Gadget of Moves, the Pathfinder, the King of Fat Ladies and Chad Jamal Crawford. Hey, indeed, that is the best intro I've ever heard. Come on, come on, life, come on, I said, boom boom, not a floor. I know. I heard that him when he is say on the back of the bus traps, so I know it's flow. It's like that. But he's doing this all the time though. It's the inspiration. I'm inspired. I'm inspired by greatness. Man. What's up, Jamal Crawford. Ladies, Yeah, this show is about you. Are you trying to get in front of this all? Yeah? You already know. I know. I know. You're a great interviewer. You know what I mean. I know you have an incredible show with Q Rich. You got a podcast you Bowman right, But this show, the Point Guy podcast show is about Jamal Crawford. You are humble, you know what I mean. You are curious, But today I get to be you. I get to ask you the questions, and when you get to tell our audience my fans are fans, who the King of Bob is? And how did you become the King of Bob. Oh my god, I've been waiting for this, dude, I've been waiting for this. I don't even have questions, bro, this is what I'm going to say. This is the intro because my producer, he's a great guy and he took the time to write it up. From Seattle, Washington. Attended the legendary Rainier Beach High School, won the state championship. Attended Michigan University. Drafted eight overall in the two thousand draft by the Calves, three time six Men of the Year. The proprietor of being the what is it, the consummate teammate, the understanding and the understanding that you don't need to start to finish being a finisher. Oh my gosh, come on, man, talk to me about Talk to me about the young Jamal Crawford, right, Like what happened? When did it happen? You know what I mean? Like women, the light dawn on you. When did you say, like this is me, I'm basketball. Everything I need is here because you exude that. So at what age you know what I mean, like you catch on him to the game and what what what triggered that? So my my dad played. He was all City at Dorset when you was all city, and at that time it was equivalent to being just All American because that was the best league in the country. He's all city, you know what I mean. He's telling me stories all the time, and so he always played. I was actually named after Jamal Wilks. I don't think I've ever said that I was naming Yeah, yeah, I was named after Jamal and so yeah, my dad went from Dorsey to Order and he actually played with Kevin loves Dad at Or. My mom was to the Pacific Northwest and here I am. I can remember I was two years old and I always had a basketball. Always. I had a basketball soon kid. And it's weird that it's weird that I talked a lot now when I say nothing, I just watch everything. I watch everybody watching spooming. I'm just watching. And so my sister tells me stories. I'm three or four years old, and she'd take me to the high school. I think I was four or five. She'd take me to her high school, and you know, I'm youngest, and it would take me to the gym. I'm shooting shots on the tip foot rims at four or five old and making them so even her little friends and Wood was like, man, he's gonna be something. He's gonna be all right fast four times eight years old. Now this is the first time I actually go on a team. So I started. I started basketball, football, and baseball at the same time. On the team technical and so eight years old, the coaches like two line laps right kids trying to get it, trying to lay it up. The first time I already touched the ball on the lap line, I went behind back and I didn't jelly. Last coach, so I go he hung it back into a jelly. At the time the jelly was we called it dipsy dude. So I got dipsy with and I made it and the kids was looking at me like I was an alien like hold up. But up into that point I did so much work by myself. I drove the bar everywhere I went. They knew they was gonna see the Even now you see all the people around the community, like man Jamal always had that basketball. So I became I became one with the bar at early age. It was like I wasn't like formally trained because my dad didn't train me. My dad actually kind of pushed me away from it. We're getting into that later. But I saw everything was on my own and just watching and watching and watching it. I remember when I first went through my leg. I used to lift up my leg to get the bar and just no basics basically. But I was always in the backyard. I always found a real and by the time I hit like eleven, I knew I was different. I'm like, okay, I'm good. Like I'm good. So I started playing with the older dudes, like you know, our kids, and they got trainers. My trainer was the old dude who would drink four between Like, no, you just ain't getting the ball, y'all, learn to cut. You better make this open shot. You have to wait two hours to play two games runs dead, you know. But they're real basketball players, you know what I mean. It's saying it's the dude who we're good enough to make it that may not have made it, you know what I mean. Growing up in the hood, and it's like you look at him and you think you of bum but when you get on the court, you know what I mean, off of four day and now he got skills man skills that understand me. One time, Wonder was like, look, I'm so nice. I'm playing left hand that dumpers and everything like I'm playing left hand the whole day. I'm like, damn, so I gotta work on my left end, you know, watching all this stuff. So those are my early traders. They didn't know it. They were just telling me what they knew. But that information I just downloaded and kept you with me. And so when I was a Laddin in twelve thirteen, start having playing with the older guys. I mean, score one basket in four games, got one basket and be cough. It's like when I get actually eleven year olds, I'm gonna kill them. I'll be with old dude. So it gave me a different level of confidence. Then I moved to l A. And it's I moved back to l A in eighth grade and I'm coming up. I'm doing well, I'm doing all right. And I go to dor See in that freshman year, I see this dude and bearing bass. And I saw this dude right and I saw him play and I had never seen somebody else around my age play like this ever. And I'm like, this is the best dude I've ever seen play basketball. It wasn't in their time. It wasn't like you know what I mean. I'm like, he's better to college, Jude. I've seen and I'm watching this dude. You have been on the weights. You were thin, but you could tell you could start lifting like he was getting to get strong. You get strong. And I saw in the stuff that you were doing it wasn't just basketball. It was like I saw this dude, this is true. Story you asked me about told the story. I saw this dude. It wasn't basketball. It was like he was creating art. He was like, I'm so I want to leave you guys speciously to see me playing out of this talented I'm out of this world because I'm gonna leave no doubt that I'm the best player. And I've seen Shay Cotton, he was a men shild I seen Keaty Brewer and he was coach. But I was never gonna be Shakotton side. You know. I wasn't gonna be Kenning Brewer side this barn Davis. He kind of fitted my my room and the way I wanted to play, the way I wanted to make it look when I played. So I go watching him boom, Okay, I'm not on his level. So let me keep getting better. Let me keep getting better and keep getting better to keep working. Had some success. Played for Converse b ball A little bit in the air. You scene, you know what I mean, just surround, playing to watch summer leagues, playing all that stuff. People don't know. I wasn't even eligible in high school. I was running around so tough. I made party as a freshman. It wasn't elsb to play because my grades. I'm running around tough and uh just watching that, watching that, and I got introduced to the l A scene, and then we'll positive there. Yo yo yo, we gotta tap in real quick. Let's hear a quick were from our sponsors. Run around. Yeah, I made Marty as a freshman. It wasn't else going to play because my grades. I'm running around tough and uh just watching that, watching that, and I got introduced to the l A scene, and then we'll positive there. Yeah that you you already know. But and and even before uh like the high school probation, you was going back and forth from l A to Seattle. You know what I mean, as as a young Jamal with the basketball, so like talk a little bit about that, like just as a young kid going from all right, I'm living in l A for two years, I'm living in Seattle, Like like what was that? Like just a justin you know what I mean? And and and and how how critical was basketball for you in that time? We'll see basketball is the one constant. So my mom and my two sisters were in Seattle, and my rest of my family, my dad and my grandma, his mom were in the l A when I was in eighth grade. Before eighth Chris, I'm going back and forth. I'm in Seattle fourth fifth grade, I moved to l A my dad Graham. Eighth grade, I'm moving back to Seattle. But now when I'm coming back to the Seattle, I'm coming to the house. Me I'm coming to the house one in the morning, I mean grade sounding the gray, I'm coming to the house when I feel like I'm in the house. And so being on the streets, I learned a lot. But my mom was like, look, you gotta go back with your dad because I can't control you. It's like your story, bro, it's like boys in the hood. Yeah. No, No, your story is the basketball boys in the hood. Alright. So Mom is like, all right, dude, you're tripping. You're going back. You're going back to us. And I wasn't going, but my dad and grandma came to physically get me, like, no, you're going. It's like, you don't get exposure out here. It's gonna be good. It's gonna be good. And I'm like, man, it's funny you say to me. I'm damn, you just brought back in crazy me. My sister said that when it happened, like you're like boys and you know what I'm saying. And so I went back with him and he's like, it's gonna be good for you. And I didn't want to go, but my mom couldn't control My mom and dad never stayed in the same house. To this day, I've never seen him stay in the same house. I was either living with one, I was living with others. It was back and and so when I went with him and my grandma, that's when I learned about going to church. That's where I learned about having chorche That's when I learned it felt like for me, I was in jail because I'm coming from mortage, freedom to all that. But even with all that, basketball is the one constant. I slept with my basketball, like and when I flew on a plane in the basketball in my one carrier like, so it was that was the one constant. No matter where I was going to friends change people, as with the basketballs of one thing that always maybe okay, yeah, and Seattle is different than l A at that time, you know what I mean, Like you can probably stay out at one o'clock in the morning in Seattle, but in l A. You know what I mean now, And and I don't think people know this either. Jamal Crawford wasn't the nicest person, you know what I mean, kind of growing up, you know what I mean. But like talk about because like you like to me, you you are the roads that grew from concrete, you know what I mean, Like you are the like you you're like you're you're the reason you feel what I'm saying. Like there's people who have played professional and come out of Seattle and you know, have had big impact, but you are are are the reason you did what I'm saying because you can't think how you are in l A. It's how I think that's I think that's very similar to how how you've always no matter where you were in New Orleans, Charlotte, anywhere you were in the world, New York, anywhere, he was always a l A just like you're reasonable. So it's like beats here and he's saying I can do it. That's a whole different few. I'm about from all into it because this is the dude, and he's saying I can do this. So if he's saying he's seen it off, he's saying it makes it more realistic. To me, it's more tangible. So now I really go get it, you know what I mean. But that means NBA or not right, But but you like something happens right, you know what I mean, like and and and for people like us, right because and I was talking to Pool and LB and I had to give him their roses because they're the ones who cut through the scar tissue of having to not be a gang banger, not be affiliated, not being you know what I mean, Like that is a like to be able to right play basketball in l A. You grew up in l A and grew up in the neighborhood and play basketball and not be affiliated with that neighborhood. And our era was just a little bit different than their's. Different, and we didn't have friends. We didn't have friends at other schools, you know what I mean in other hoods that was the man and like it was basketball now you know what I'm saying. It wasn't happen, especially between l A and Seattle's Seattle. If you say where are you from? All from? You know, I'm from this part town from Colorado, moved to in l A. You say where are you from? It's like what's set you from? Like where are you from? Like you guys, you know, we gotta we gotta establish this right now. We need where are you from? What street are you from? In this city? Yeah, And so that it's a whole different dynamic. So in Seattle, it's not like you can wear any color. It wasn't on the color thing. Then in l A has different politics. I mere the first day I went to Dorset Down my freshman, I get robbed. The first time I go to the school, bro I got on the fake breaks that I got from disney Land. In eighth grade, I got awesome blue penny hardaways. I was out of bounds and you was fresh, but she was almost two fresh. Hey, two friends. I had on the blue pennies with the blue legs. Oh my god, with a blue Chris. No nobody gave him to he run across from the jungle. Where are you from? I sat from Seattle. He was smarter to like, Okay, I just like basketball from Seattle. He's like, okay, give me the bracelet and don't ever walk around here like that. And yeah, I said, cool, I go tell Lama Lor. I'm like, yeah, I just got robbing and the jungles and the Jungles are right up the hill from where you live training day, you know what I mean? All that you know, all that ship so like really like you know, for you, it's like, man, you have this like it's just like this boy's in the hood, you know, kind of story from Seattle to l A. Seattle, l A. Now you're in l A. Now it's like ship these are you can't stay out till one in the morning, you know what I mean. You gotta navigate. You're going to Dorsey all this ship and then like talk about just like as a young Crawford, you know what I mean at high school at Dorsey and then going back to see it. Yo, you know what time it is. You know this show wouldn't be where it is if it wasn't for our sponsors. Let them have it. What happened? You know what I mean? Or like what? What? What kind of steered you to go the right direction? You know what I mean? Right? So I go to Dorsey, I'm having too much fun. I'm now I'm skipping in school and I make the team as a freshman, I mean varsity as a fresh At that time, you made varses and freshman. You was nice, like I made voices and freshman. Yeah, but I couldn't play because I had under the two points off truan cites, tardies all that I couldn't play. So I'm like, damn. I thought if I was good enough in basketball, I wouldn't have to worry about the school or not knowing that I'm not even thinking about that stuff. I'm like, damn, Okay, So that ain't how it worked. Boom. I'm like, all, I got over two points to end the semester, so I passed my classes, but I still I missed the All basketball sea Damn fast fast board, I work on my game again. The same damn thing happens my sophomore year, make the team and don't have it, and what is it? Because I was I was going through the same ship across. I was like, tartis an excuse that it was just I feel like he was like too cool for school. I was way too cool. I was having too much fun when I went to class. I find myself. But it was just bored. It was born. It was born to me like, man, I'm going over here. I'm gonna get here, do whatever it is. I do whatever it is, right. It's so yeah, I'm like, man, I ain't shop on. So the same thing happens. Now. It gets to a point where I get my attendance and stuff was so bad. Think about this school and you know this, Dorsey's in South Central right there. They want us in there. My attendance was so bad I got kicked out of Dorsey the second part of the year, and it was like, look, you gotta go to your homeschool. So I had to go to morning side. I had to go to morning Side to finish up that semester. He said, if you do well, you can come back. Yeah, that's how that was. That's how that went. It was so bad that I had to go to the Morning Side because that was my home school because I lived in Inglewood to get back to Dorset. And all the time, you're working on your game the whole time, and I can't play. And that's when now I'm gonna tell you about the dad part of when he was like he tried to steer me away from basketball, and so me and him got into it a lot, and it's a relationship that of this day's still a work in progress. It's much better. But that was the foundation for why we were like that, because he was like, all you're thinking about is basketball, Like the chances you're making are so slim, you know what I mean? And he was nice. So he had injuries that origin and what I found out later all was when he didn't make it, it broke his heart. So he didn't want me to go through that same. But when are your fifteen year old kids, you're like, why why don't you support my dream? That's what I want to do, you know what I'm saying. So that was the friction, So I just stayed with the basketball. Is that all you love? His basketball? You know? Nothing else. What if it don't work? Right? So I'm like, it's gonna work. It's gonna work. Fast forward that year at Morningside and this is the airplane ticket. This ain't no electronic ticket. My sisters in ticket. She's like, I'm gonna help you run away and get back here. I'm like, what, because I was trying to run away. I'm gonna help you get back because I knew in Seattle was all the freedom of wife. I'm like, now I feel like I'm gonna jail. I gotta get out of here, right. So she sent me to play ticket the muff and advance. Every day after school. You know you have clothes you don't wear. Every day after school, I'm taking the clothes I wear it, putting them in the suitcases back of the yard. Only I go back to the everything, you know, because I'm packing my stuff each day. The closets still look full because half the clothes don't wear anybody. But they're gonna stand here in the day. The day that the ta came, I ran away and never looked back. And they knew once I read My friend and my dad knew once I ran away. I see how they couldn't get you back. But it was like something click. Though it was like all right, now you know you can't go to school if you don't meet your grade like something click. From that point on, that's killer. And then when you go back to Seattle turn up state championship. You know what I mean, because like I remember watching you in the watch summer games and then not seeing you again until you wind up at Michigan. You know what I mean? How did you get to Michigan? Like why did you want to go to Michigan? You know, talk about that, you know, high school year in Seattle, you broke out, you became the man, you know, like you was like a show, you know what I mean. Right, So one of my last games and you heard it now, one of my last games in l A before I left, I'm playing against you at the Pump Classic and and you locked me up and it was an embarrassing you do it twice in a row. And remember, like I know who Baron Davis is. He's my hero and we're only a couple years apart, but he's my hero. Like I love this too, and so I'm already missedly walking. It's almost like the first time you played against Ivins. Idn't see this, you know what. That's what it was for me, And I'm like, damn, so you locked me up, written me twice in a row full court like messing mouse at the ball, and it was one of the moments like I was embarrassing dribble and I could really dribble even then, and so yeah, it was nice. I leave back to LF No, that was okay. So that was two games before the next game. I end up playing against Todd Remersoe. You came in left. I had thirty and it maybe a long beach somewhere, maybe at the pyramid. I forgot at the time. Yeah, game, yeah, game. I had thirty. But I knew you was watching because I's your man, so you're watching and you probably about to play next. I'm like, I said, thirties, like for real. Yeah, we had a quick if you're we had a quick conversation. I did. I left. I ran away like two days later, three days before I come back to Seattle six team and I want my mixtape mission now. I want. I want everybody know I'm back because they saw me as a kid. I left at five nine. I from back to six four. I got the same handle, same Bob. I'm like, where's the where's the best runs in the city in the words spere like wildfire, like wildfire. So now the city's taking notice. I go out to this one spot. It's kind of an uppy spot. I played against the Sonics on the Humbug. I killed the Sonics. Pookie Snow was guarding me. I'm going at him, all right. So then the Sonics, I don't know if it's ain't gonna said, it's past the statue of limitation. I started going to the side facility killing. Yeah, killing in high school, right in high school killing. So now Christie's like, come playing the prom, which is like the Drew League, the in l A. I'm playing against Sean Kimp, Things, Stid of Mark's Real Friends, Cliff Problems, and Arrest of Peace. My first four games only get eight points. I score like two points a game. Christie roses Ankle, They're like, just go. I'm like, just who, Like I have a S thirty the rest of the way. At that point it was, I was like it's standing room only when you showed up, Like what was it like going in high school playing? You know what I'm And You're like, I don't know because I I don't you disappear, Like, yeah, I never knew you ran away. All I know is I I was like, where's Jamal Crawford? Jamal Crawford was one of my favorite players, my favorite high school players, And I was like, damn, I was talking to that like that I found one, you know what I mean? Like you all that ship. I was like, man, this ship is about to go up. I always wanted to play with you, bro from when I saw you at Dorsey and the watch summer games and then you disappeared. Now I know you left and you ran away. What was it like your senior year in in in Seattle. Please pay that environment for me, dude, I know it was crazy. So imagine this right. There's no social media, so everything is a by word of mouth or you gotta come out and see it. My name, it grew so much, and the Sonics is here at the time, The Sciences is actually here in Seattle at the time, So my stuff, it went so crazy with the Sonics that now you've got Gary Payton and Sean Kemp coming to my games. But my man, have been the third most popular player in all of Seattle behind Gary That's what I'm saying, Like that time, so so it's it's it's standing room only, Gary Payton. You know those guys are coming to my games now this is the glove Gary school and waiting for me after the game. I'm like, oh, ship, this is crazy, Jason Jason Terry said the same ship. He said Gary Payton would come to his high school games and be on the sideline barking and talking shit like pumping him up. Was he doing the same thing to you? The same ship, bro, Like he's coming to the games, waiting for me after the game. So after my my high school meeting all that like waiting for him, like he coming and he's like, Yo, do this to this, come hang with me. We're gonna show you all. I'm like, what this is the gloves? Don't forget both just two years ago or a year or two before, I'm in l A ineligible, you know what I'm saying. So this should happened so fast. And now I'm the third most popular player. That's I was more popular than in your the college properly high school games, and I was more popular lot of the sonics. I became the show like Kim Griffith junior Eric mccalthy's dudes are coming to my high school game, and you know that's like yeah, So I'm like, oh, ship, and when I'm playing, I'm trying not to let you down. I want you to have an experience so people see all the ship I'm doing now in high school are now, But you were doing that in high school now I was worse. Yeah, you got a video. I got a video, and I'm gonna release at some point, I'm gonna tell you, my god, I'm gonna release something called the Lost Crosses that I got when I was a kid. All the way after people have never seen one of the players on this. I get the ball, full court pressure is there, I'm going that away. I drivel up full court in my back to me so he can give them all walking backwards. I only turned and faced him at the three point line. I thought over my neck, I shoot it and I started running the other way. I didn't watch you going instead of doing I was doing that and turned it before the crowd lost. I got that on video. So there's so many plays that are like they were like even GPN like it's a show, like it's a show. Point guy is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Point God is a production of I Heart Radio. I thought it over my neck, I shoot it and I started running the other way. I didn't watch it going instead of doing I was doing that. It turned before the crowd lost. I got that on video. So there's so many plays. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Donalds and cats, animals and pets, people, my people. Welcome to the Point God Podcast Show presented by Slick I heard media is the label I am your host. Baron Davis, a K A Bowe, Distel, a K A B Diddy a K too Easy, and the Point Guy Podcast Show is a show that goes into the minds of the originals. What does it mean to be a point God? Someone who has God given talent and leadership, creativity, vision, um you know, uh, artistry right, the thinkers, the doers, the scores, the creators right, the masterminds behind the game. Now, Ladies and gentlemen, this is a special one. Helling from Seattle to l A, to Seattle to l A back to Seattle. The Doctor Funk, the King of Bob, the lean, mean machine with the range, the in between, the best with finesse, hand on a string, basketball on a yo yo, a painter, artists, a visionary, a real life in three D moment, an icon maker, and one of the most incredible human beings you will ever get to know. Almanac and Encyclopedia of Information, The Inspector, Gadget of Moves, the Pathfinder, the King of Fat Ladies and Chad Jamal Crawford. Hey, indeed, that is the best intro I've ever heard. Come on, come on, life, come on, I said, boom boom, not a floor. I know. I heard that him when he is say on the back of the bus traps, so I know it's flow. It's like that. But he's doing this all the time though. It's the inspiration. I'm inspired. I'm inspired by greatness. Man. What's up, Jamal Crawford. Ladies, Yeah, this show is about you. Are you trying to get in front of this all? Yeah? You already know. I know. I know. You're a great interviewer. You know what I mean. I know you have an incredible show with Q Rich. You got a podcast you Bowman right, But this show, the Point Guy podcast show is about Jamal Crawford. You are humble, you know what I mean. You are curious, But today I get to be you. I get to ask you the questions, and when you get to tell our audience my fans are fans, who the King of Bob is? And how did you become the King of Bob. Oh my god, I've been waiting for this, dude, I've been waiting for this. I don't even have questions, bro, this is what I'm going to say. This is the intro because my producer, he's a great guy and he took the time to write it up. From Seattle, Washington. Attended the legendary Rainier Beach High School, won the state championship. Attended Michigan University. Drafted eight overall in the two thousand draft by the Calves, three time six Men of the Year. The proprietor of being the what is it, the consummate teammate, the understanding and the understanding that you don't need to start to finish being a finisher. Oh my gosh, come on, man, talk to me about Talk to me about the young Jamal Crawford, right, Like what happened? When did it happen? You know what I mean? Like women, the light dawn on you. When did you say, like this is me, I'm basketball. Everything I need is here because you exude that. So at what age you know what I mean, like you catch on him to the game and what what what triggered that? So my my dad played. He was all City at Dorset when you was all city, and at that time it was equivalent to being just All American because that was the best league in the country. He's all city, you know what I mean. He's telling me stories all the time, and so he always played. I was actually named after Jamal Wilks. I don't think I've ever said that I was naming Yeah, yeah, I was named after Jamal and so yeah, my dad went from Dorsey to Order and he actually played with Kevin loves Dad at Or. My mom was to the Pacific Northwest and here I am. I can remember I was two years old and I always had a basketball. Always. I had a basketball soon kid. And it's weird that it's weird that I talked a lot now when I say nothing, I just watch everything. I watch everybody watching spooming. I'm just watching. And so my sister tells me stories. I'm three or four years old, and she'd take me to the high school. I think I was four or five. She'd take me to her high school, and you know, I'm youngest, and it would take me to the gym. I'm shooting shots on the tip foot rims at four or five old and making them so even her little friends and Wood was like, man, he's gonna be something. He's gonna be all right fast four times eight years old. Now this is the first time I actually go on a team. So I started. I started basketball, football, and baseball at the same time. On the team technical and so eight years old, the coaches like two line laps right kids trying to get it, trying to lay it up. The first time I already touched the ball on the lap line, I went behind back and I didn't jelly. Last coach, so I go he hung it back into a jelly. At the time the jelly was we called it dipsy dude. So I got dipsy with and I made it and the kids was looking at me like I was an alien like hold up. But up into that point I did so much work by myself. I drove the bar everywhere I went. They knew they was gonna see the Even now you see all the people around the community, like man Jamal always had that basketball. So I became I became one with the bar at early age. It was like I wasn't like formally trained because my dad didn't train me. My dad actually kind of pushed me away from it. We're getting into that later. But I saw everything was on my own and just watching and watching and watching it. I remember when I first went through my leg. I used to lift up my leg to get the bar and just no basics basically. But I was always in the backyard. I always found a real and by the time I hit like eleven, I knew I was different. I'm like, okay, I'm good. Like I'm good. So I started playing with the older dudes, like you know, our kids, and they got trainers. My trainer was the old dude who would drink four between Like, no, you just ain't getting the ball, y'all, learn to cut. You better make this open shot. You have to wait two hours to play two games runs dead, you know. But they're real basketball players, you know what I mean. It's saying it's the dude who we're good enough to make it that may not have made it, you know what I mean. Growing up in the hood, and it's like you look at him and you think you of bum but when you get on the court, you know what I mean, off of four day and now he got skills man skills that understand me. One time, Wonder was like, look, I'm so nice. I'm playing left hand that dumpers and everything like I'm playing left hand the whole day. I'm like, damn, so I gotta work on my left end, you know, watching all this stuff. So those are my early traders. They didn't know it. They were just telling me what they knew. But that information I just downloaded and kept you with me. And so when I was a Laddin in twelve thirteen, start having playing with the older guys. I mean, score one basket in four games, got one basket and be cough. It's like when I get actually eleven year olds, I'm gonna kill them. I'll be with old dude. So it gave me a different level of confidence. Then I moved to l A. And it's I moved back to l A in eighth grade and I'm coming up. I'm doing well, I'm doing all right. And I go to dor See in that freshman year, I see this dude and bearing bass. And I saw this dude right and I saw him play and I had never seen somebody else around my age play like this ever. And I'm like, this is the best dude I've ever seen play basketball. It wasn't in their time. It wasn't like you know what I mean. I'm like, he's better to college, Jude. I've seen and I'm watching this dude. You have been on the weights. You were thin, but you could tell you could start lifting like he was getting to get strong. You get strong. And I saw in the stuff that you were doing it wasn't just basketball. It was like I saw this dude, this is true. Story you asked me about told the story. I saw this dude. It wasn't basketball. It was like he was creating art. He was like, I'm so I want to leave you guys speciously to see me playing out of this talented I'm out of this world because I'm gonna leave no doubt that I'm the best player. And I've seen Shay Cotton, he was a men shild I seen Keaty Brewer and he was coach. But I was never gonna be Shakotton side. You know. I wasn't gonna be Kenning Brewer side this barn Davis. He kind of fitted my my room and the way I wanted to play, the way I wanted to make it look when I played. So I go watching him boom, Okay, I'm not on his level. So let me keep getting better. Let me keep getting better and keep getting better to keep working. Had some success. Played for Converse b ball A little bit in the air. You scene, you know what I mean, just surround, playing to watch summer leagues, playing all that stuff. People don't know. I wasn't even eligible in high school. I was running around so tough. I made party as a freshman. It wasn't elsb to play because my grades. I'm running around tough and uh just watching that, watching that, and I got introduced to the l A scene, and then we'll positive there. Yo yo yo, we gotta tap in real quick. Let's hear a quick were from our sponsors. Run around. Yeah, I made Marty as a freshman. It wasn't else going to play because my grades. I'm running around tough and uh just watching that, watching that, and I got introduced to the l A scene, and then we'll positive there. Yeah that you you already know. But and and even before uh like the high school probation, you was going back and forth from l A to Seattle. You know what I mean, as as a young Jamal with the basketball, so like talk a little bit about that, like just as a young kid going from all right, I'm living in l A for two years, I'm living in Seattle, Like like what was that? Like just a justin you know what I mean? And and and and how how critical was basketball for you in that time? We'll see basketball is the one constant. So my mom and my two sisters were in Seattle, and my rest of my family, my dad and my grandma, his mom were in the l A when I was in eighth grade. Before eighth Chris, I'm going back and forth. I'm in Seattle fourth fifth grade, I moved to l A my dad Graham. Eighth grade, I'm moving back to Seattle. But now when I'm coming back to the Seattle, I'm coming to the house. Me I'm coming to the house one in the morning, I mean grade sounding the gray, I'm coming to the house when I feel like I'm in the house. And so being on the streets, I learned a lot. But my mom was like, look, you gotta go back with your dad because I can't control you. It's like your story, bro, it's like boys in the hood. Yeah. No, No, your story is the basketball boys in the hood. Alright. So Mom is like, all right, dude, you're tripping. You're going back. You're going back to us. And I wasn't going, but my dad and grandma came to physically get me, like, no, you're going. It's like, you don't get exposure out here. It's gonna be good. It's gonna be good. And I'm like, man, it's funny you say to me. I'm damn, you just brought back in crazy me. My sister said that when it happened, like you're like boys and you know what I'm saying. And so I went back with him and he's like, it's gonna be good for you. And I didn't want to go, but my mom couldn't control My mom and dad never stayed in the same house. To this day, I've never seen him stay in the same house. I was either living with one, I was living with others. It was back and and so when I went with him and my grandma, that's when I learned about going to church. That's where I learned about having chorche That's when I learned it felt like for me, I was in jail because I'm coming from mortage, freedom to all that. But even with all that, basketball is the one constant. I slept with my basketball, like and when I flew on a plane in the basketball in my one carrier like, so it was that was the one constant. No matter where I was going to friends change people, as with the basketballs of one thing that always maybe okay, yeah, and Seattle is different than l A at that time, you know what I mean, Like you can probably stay out at one o'clock in the morning in Seattle, but in l A. You know what I mean now, And and I don't think people know this either. Jamal Crawford wasn't the nicest person, you know what I mean, kind of growing up, you know what I mean. But like talk about because like you like to me, you you are the roads that grew from concrete, you know what I mean, Like you are the like you you're like you're you're the reason you feel what I'm saying. Like there's people who have played professional and come out of Seattle and you know, have had big impact, but you are are are the reason you did what I'm saying because you can't think how you are in l A. It's how I think that's I think that's very similar to how how you've always no matter where you were in New Orleans, Charlotte, anywhere you were in the world, New York, anywhere, he was always a l A just like you're reasonable. So it's like beats here and he's saying I can do it. That's a whole different few. I'm about from all into it because this is the dude, and he's saying I can do this. So if he's saying he's seen it off, he's saying it makes it more realistic. To me, it's more tangible. So now I really go get it, you know what I mean. But that means NBA or not right, But but you like something happens right, you know what I mean, like and and and for people like us, right because and I was talking to Pool and LB and I had to give him their roses because they're the ones who cut through the scar tissue of having to not be a gang banger, not be affiliated, not being you know what I mean, Like that is a like to be able to right play basketball in l A. You grew up in l A and grew up in the neighborhood and play basketball and not be affiliated with that neighborhood. And our era was just a little bit different than their's. Different, and we didn't have friends. We didn't have friends at other schools, you know what I mean in other hoods that was the man and like it was basketball now you know what I'm saying. It wasn't happen, especially between l A and Seattle's Seattle. If you say where are you from? All from? You know, I'm from this part town from Colorado, moved to in l A. You say where are you from? It's like what's set you from? Like where are you from? Like you guys, you know, we gotta we gotta establish this right now. We need where are you from? What street are you from? In this city? Yeah, And so that it's a whole different dynamic. So in Seattle, it's not like you can wear any color. It wasn't on the color thing. Then in l A has different politics. I mere the first day I went to Dorset Down my freshman, I get robbed. The first time I go to the school, bro I got on the fake breaks that I got from disney Land. In eighth grade, I got awesome blue penny hardaways. I was out of bounds and you was fresh, but she was almost two fresh. Hey, two friends. I had on the blue pennies with the blue legs. Oh my god, with a blue Chris. No nobody gave him to he run across from the jungle. Where are you from? I sat from Seattle. He was smarter to like, Okay, I just like basketball from Seattle. He's like, okay, give me the bracelet and don't ever walk around here like that. And yeah, I said, cool, I go tell Lama Lor. I'm like, yeah, I just got robbing and the jungles and the Jungles are right up the hill from where you live training day, you know what I mean? All that you know, all that ship so like really like you know, for you, it's like, man, you have this like it's just like this boy's in the hood, you know, kind of story from Seattle to l A. Seattle, l A. Now you're in l A. Now it's like ship these are you can't stay out till one in the morning, you know what I mean. You gotta navigate. You're going to Dorsey all this ship and then like talk about just like as a young Crawford, you know what I mean at high school at Dorsey and then going back to see it. Yo, you know what time it is. You know this show wouldn't be where it is if it wasn't for our sponsors. Let them have it. What happened? You know what I mean? Or like what? What? What kind of steered you to go the right direction? You know what I mean? Right? So I go to Dorsey, I'm having too much fun. I'm now I'm skipping in school and I make the team as a freshman, I mean varsity as a fresh At that time, you made varses and freshman. You was nice, like I made voices and freshman. Yeah, but I couldn't play because I had under the two points off truan cites, tardies all that I couldn't play. So I'm like, damn. I thought if I was good enough in basketball, I wouldn't have to worry about the school or not knowing that I'm not even thinking about that stuff. I'm like, damn, Okay, So that ain't how it worked. Boom. I'm like, all, I got over two points to end the semester, so I passed my classes, but I still I missed the All basketball sea Damn fast fast board, I work on my game again. The same damn thing happens my sophomore year, make the team and don't have it, and what is it? Because I was I was going through the same ship across. I was like, tartis an excuse that it was just I feel like he was like too cool for school. I was way too cool. I was having too much fun when I went to class. I find myself. But it was just bored. It was born. It was born to me like, man, I'm going over here. I'm gonna get here, do whatever it is. I do whatever it is, right. It's so yeah, I'm like, man, I ain't shop on. So the same thing happens. Now. It gets to a point where I get my attendance and stuff was so bad. Think about this school and you know this, Dorsey's in South Central right there. They want us in there. My attendance was so bad I got kicked out of Dorsey the second part of the year, and it was like, look, you gotta go to your homeschool. So I had to go to morning side. I had to go to morning Side to finish up that semester. He said, if you do well, you can come back. Yeah, that's how that was. That's how that went. It was so bad that I had to go to the Morning Side because that was my home school because I lived in Inglewood to get back to Dorset. And all the time, you're working on your game the whole time, and I can't play. And that's when now I'm gonna tell you about the dad part of when he was like he tried to steer me away from basketball, and so me and him got into it a lot, and it's a relationship that of this day's still a work in progress. It's much better. But that was the foundation for why we were like that, because he was like, all you're thinking about is basketball, Like the chances you're making are so slim, you know what I mean? And he was nice. So he had injuries that origin and what I found out later all was when he didn't make it, it broke his heart. So he didn't want me to go through that same. But when are your fifteen year old kids, you're like, why why don't you support my dream? That's what I want to do, you know what I'm saying. So that was the friction, So I just stayed with the basketball. Is that all you love? His basketball? You know? Nothing else. What if it don't work? Right? So I'm like, it's gonna work. It's gonna work. Fast forward that year at Morningside and this is the airplane ticket. This ain't no electronic ticket. My sisters in ticket. She's like, I'm gonna help you run away and get back here. I'm like, what, because I was trying to run away. I'm gonna help you get back because I knew in Seattle was all the freedom of wife. I'm like, now I feel like I'm gonna jail. I gotta get out of here, right. So she sent me to play ticket the muff and advance. Every day after school. You know you have clothes you don't wear. Every day after school, I'm taking the clothes I wear it, putting them in the suitcases back of the yard. Only I go back to the everything, you know, because I'm packing my stuff each day. The closets still look full because half the clothes don't wear anybody. But they're gonna stand here in the day. The day that the ta came, I ran away and never looked back. And they knew once I read My friend and my dad knew once I ran away. I see how they couldn't get you back. But it was like something click. Though it was like all right, now you know you can't go to school if you don't meet your grade like something click. From that point on, that's killer. And then when you go back to Seattle turn up state championship. You know what I mean, because like I remember watching you in the watch summer games and then not seeing you again until you wind up at Michigan. You know what I mean? How did you get to Michigan? Like why did you want to go to Michigan? You know, talk about that, you know, high school year in Seattle, you broke out, you became the man, you know, like you was like a show, you know what I mean. Right, So one of my last games and you heard it now, one of my last games in l A before I left, I'm playing against you at the Pump Classic and and you locked me up and it was an embarrassing you do it twice in a row. And remember, like I know who Baron Davis is. He's my hero and we're only a couple years apart, but he's my hero. Like I love this too, and so I'm already missedly walking. It's almost like the first time you played against Ivins. Idn't see this, you know what. That's what it was for me, And I'm like, damn, so you locked me up, written me twice in a row full court like messing mouse at the ball, and it was one of the moments like I was embarrassing dribble and I could really dribble even then, and so yeah, it was nice. I leave back to LF No, that was okay. So that was two games before the next game. I end up playing against Todd Remersoe. You came in left. I had thirty and it maybe a long beach somewhere, maybe at the pyramid. I forgot at the time. Yeah, game, yeah, game. I had thirty. But I knew you was watching because I's your man, so you're watching and you probably about to play next. I'm like, I said, thirties, like for real. Yeah, we had a quick if you're we had a quick conversation. I did. I left. I ran away like two days later, three days before I come back to Seattle six team and I want my mixtape mission now. I want. I want everybody know I'm back because they saw me as a kid. I left at five nine. I from back to six four. I got the same handle, same Bob. I'm like, where's the where's the best runs in the city in the words spere like wildfire, like wildfire. So now the city's taking notice. I go out to this one spot. It's kind of an uppy spot. I played against the Sonics on the Humbug. I killed the Sonics. Pookie Snow was guarding me. I'm going at him, all right. So then the Sonics, I don't know if it's ain't gonna said, it's past the statue of limitation. I started going to the side facility killing. Yeah, killing in high school, right in high school killing. So now Christie's like, come playing the prom, which is like the Drew League, the in l A. I'm playing against Sean Kimp, Things, Stid of Mark's Real Friends, Cliff Problems, and Arrest of Peace. My first four games only get eight points. I score like two points a game. Christie roses Ankle, They're like, just go. I'm like, just who, Like I have a S thirty the rest of the way. At that point it was, I was like it's standing room only when you showed up, Like what was it like going in high school playing? You know what I'm And You're like, I don't know because I I don't you disappear, Like, yeah, I never knew you ran away. All I know is I I was like, where's Jamal Crawford? Jamal Crawford was one of my favorite players, my favorite high school players, And I was like, damn, I was talking to that like that I found one, you know what I mean? Like you all that ship. I was like, man, this ship is about to go up. I always wanted to play with you, bro from when I saw you at Dorsey and the watch summer games and then you disappeared. Now I know you left and you ran away. What was it like your senior year in in in Seattle. Please pay that environment for me, dude, I know it was crazy. So imagine this right. There's no social media, so everything is a by word of mouth or you gotta come out and see it. My name, it grew so much, and the Sonics is here at the time, The Sciences is actually here in Seattle at the time, So my stuff, it went so crazy with the Sonics that now you've got Gary Payton and Sean Kemp coming to my games. But my man, have been the third most popular player in all of Seattle behind Gary That's what I'm saying, Like that time, so so it's it's it's standing room only, Gary Payton. You know those guys are coming to my games now this is the glove Gary school and waiting for me after the game. I'm like, oh, ship, this is crazy, Jason Jason Terry said the same ship. He said Gary Payton would come to his high school games and be on the sideline barking and talking shit like pumping him up. Was he doing the same thing to you? The same ship, bro, Like he's coming to the games, waiting for me after the game. So after my my high school meeting all that like waiting for him, like he coming and he's like, Yo, do this to this, come hang with me. We're gonna show you all. I'm like, what this is the gloves? Don't forget both just two years ago or a year or two before, I'm in l A ineligible, you know what I'm saying. So this should happened so fast. And now I'm the third most popular player. That's I was more popular than in your the college properly high school games, and I was more popular lot of the sonics. I became the show like Kim Griffith junior Eric mccalthy's dudes are coming to my high school game, and you know that's like yeah, So I'm like, oh, ship, and when I'm playing, I'm trying not to let you down. I want you to have an experience so people see all the ship I'm doing now in high school are now, But you were doing that in high school now I was worse. Yeah, you got a video. I got a video, and I'm gonna release at some point, I'm gonna tell you, my god, I'm gonna release something called the Lost Crosses that I got when I was a kid. All the way after people have never seen one of the players on this. I get the ball, full court pressure is there, I'm going that away. I drivel up full court in my back to me so he can give them all walking backwards. I only turned and faced him at the three point line. I thought over my neck, I shoot it and I started running the other way. I didn't watch you going instead of doing I was doing that and turned it before the crowd lost. I got that on video. So there's so many plays that are like they were like even GPN like it's a show, like it's a show. Point guy is a production of I heart Radio. 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