NYK on TNT: Knicks Ex Jamal Crawford Earns High-Profile TV Job
Jamal Crawford is once again coming off the bench to provide some vital minutes in an NBA setting. These, however, might come during the pregame, halftime, and postgame as opposed to his regular clutch game time duties.
Per the New York Post, Crawford has found yet another new NBA team, though this one will require suits instead of shorts, as he'll serve in the TNT studio during the network's NBA coverage. Crawford, 42, recently wrapped a two-decade NBA career that brought him to nine different teams, including a four-plus season stint with the New York Knicks (2004-08).
Perhaps serving as the perfect footnote to his NBA career, Crawford will once again sub in for a starting point guard: his role, said to be staged during Tuesday night coverage, was previously occupied by Dwyane Wade, who voluntarily departed the network earlier this month.
It was in New York that Crawford found his sixth man niche, traded to the Knicks from his original landing spot in Chicago prior to the 2004-05 campaign. Under the supervision of then-head coach Larry Brown, Crawford became one of the rare silver linings of the fellow weary traveler's disastrous New York stay. The 17.6 points Crawford averaged in a Knicks uniform were tied for his best output with a single team with a one-year tenure with Golden State.
He re-entered the starting lineup upon Isiah Thomas' arrival on the bench but went on to be one of the most renowned and accomplished bench players in NBA history after the Knicks dealt him to the Warriors early in the 2008-09 season. His three Sixth Man of the Year Awards (2010, 2014, 2016) are tied with Lou Williams for the most all-time, while he, Williams, and Dell Curry are the only players to reach at least 10,000 points in a reserve role.
Crawford's last NBA experience came through a single game with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020.
TNT's NBA coverage has been lauded by fans, players, and analysts since its debut in 1989. Crawford is far from the first Knicks representative to involve himself with the network, with previous entrants including lead play-by-play man Marv Albert and assistant-turned-game analyst Mike Fratello. Tuesday studio duties will pair Crawford with TNT mainstays and basketball legends Shaquille O'Neal and Candace Parker, as well as host Adam Lefkoe.
The Knicks are currently penciled in for three TNT dates, all in Crawford's Tuesday domain. Their first comes in Utah on Nov. 15, while Madison Square Garden visits from the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers get the treatment on Dec. 20 and Jan. 31 respectively.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Knicks? Click Here.
Follow AllKnicks.com on Twitter.
