As custom would have it, the rehearsal dinner was followed by the big event.
A pickup basketball game.
Jamal Crawford would have it no other way.
The night before he got married in August, the star sixth man played in a midnight pickup game with several of his Clippers teammates before 3,000 fans at Seattle Pacific University.
The rosters had enough talent to compose an NBA team. On one side was a lineup including All-Star point guard Chris Paul, forward-center Spencer Hawes and forward Matt Barnes. On the other were Crawford, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tony Wroten and former NBA guard Will Conroy. Watching from the sideline were All-Star forwards Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Even the participants were struck by the absurdity of a game that lasted until nearly 3 a.m. “Jamal is probably the only person in the world that had a pickup game the night before his wedding at midnight,” Barnes said.
It’s totally in character for someone who steadfastly carried his basketball onto planes as a youngster and was recently mesmerized by weekend warriors playing their own pickup game at L.A. Fitness even though he’s spent 14 seasons in the NBA.
“It was interesting to see people, how they love basketball,” Crawford said.
No one seems to cherish the game more than Crawford, who would rather hoist shots than host a wild bachelor party. The veteran shooting guard spent part of his summer working on his mid-post game as well as his ability to catch and shoot even though it’s a motion he’s seemingly perfected through years of repetition. He’s shot three-pointers almost like free throws in the preseason, making 17 of 28 (60.7%).
There did happen to be one basketball moment Crawford wanted no part of: the Clippers’ Game 5 collapse against the Oklahoma City Thunder last spring in the Western Conference semifinals.
Among the series of plays that went against the Clippers was a scoop layup by Crawford with 23 seconds left. The shot looked good as it left Crawford’s fingertips, rising over the outstretched arm of Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka and rolling around the rim before bouncing out. The Thunder went on to win the game and the series.
Crawford watched the game once afterward and that was enough.
Crawford, 34, is eager to hit play instead of rewind on his career. He wants to build on a season in which he was the NBA’s sixth man of the year — for the second time — after averaging 18.6 points per game.
After saying during his award acceptance speech that he wanted to remain a Clipper for the rest of his career, Crawford informed the team through his agent, Andy Miller, that he wanted a contract extension. He has two years and $11.125 million left on his deal, including a team option for $5.675 million during the 2015-16 season.
“I’ve had more fun in my career here than I have at any other point, so I hope something like that is possible,” Crawford said of an extension, “but we’ll have to wait and see. There’s other stuff we need to worry about first, and that’s winning big.”
Crawford should feel more at home as a Clipper now that the franchise has two more prominent figures with ties to his beloved Seattle. Free-agent acquisition Hawes was born in the city and new team owner Steve Ballmer plans to commute from there to games at Staples Center.
Both men have long had ties to Crawford. Ballmer and Crawford are involved with the A Plus Youth Program that encourages youngsters in the Seattle area to strive for academic achievement in addition to athletic excellence. Crawford has been a big brother figure to Hawes since the latter was in high school.
“He started inviting me to pickup [games] at 15, 16 years old, when I couldn’t really play a lick,” said Hawes, who is eight years younger than Crawford. “He supported me, helped get my confidence up.”
Nothing could top tagging along with Crawford to the game after his rehearsal dinner.
Initially, the plan was to play a private game among friends. Then Crawford hatched an idea: Why not invite basketball-starved fans from the city that has been his lifelong home?
“I’m like, you know what, the fans, they’ve been supportive the whole time,” Crawford said. “Seattle doesn’t have a basketball team; when will they have a chance to see this kind of talent at once?”
Paul, Barnes and Crawford tweeted about the game to their more than 4 million combined followers. Paul also touted it on Instagram.
By 10:30 p.m., the line outside the gym was eight blocks long. “If you got there at 11,” Crawford said, “you weren’t getting in.”
Those who did were treated to a flurry of Paul crossover moves, Hawes faking a behind-the-back pass before driving for a dunk and an epic battle between Crawford and 18-year-old high school prodigy Dejounte Murray.
Somehow, Crawford managed to stay awake later that day for the wedding at his waterfront home.
“I was tired, but I was almost more charged up,” Crawford said. “I was like, ‘Can you believe this night actually happened like this?'”
Twitter: @latbbolch
Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times
