Jamal Crawford recalls feeling ‘hella nervous’ before asking Kobe Bryant for unique favor

Former NBA guard Jamal Crawford recounted a story on how he was able to get the late Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant to make an appearance at Crawford’s offseason Crawsover summer league in Seattle.

The Crawsover is an offseason league that brings together current and former professional, international, minor league, and collegiate players, with the highly competitive play helping to partially fill the void left by the departure of Seattle’s NBA team in 2008.

Bryant’s love of basketball no doubt brought him to the event in 2014, with the crowd in attendance offering him a warm welcome.

Sadly, Bryant’s death last January prevented any future appearances by the NBA legend, but it’s clear that Crawford’s warm memories of Bryant’s gesture will continue to live on.

Crawford’s lengthy 20-year career in the NBA appears to be at an end, considering that he last played a single game for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019-20 campaign. The Nets were the ninth NBA team that he had played for during his long career.