Three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford announces retirement, March 21, 2022. /CFP
Jamal Crawford, who has been named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year for three times, announced his retirement on Twitter on Monday.
"Goodbye to the game, all the spoils the adrenaline rush. Thank you, basketball, I owe you everything," the 42-year-old tweeted with a photo of him standing on an outdoor basketball court.
Jamal Crawford (#1) of the Chicago Bulls shoots in the game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada, April 11, 2004. /CFP
Crawford has played 20 seasons for nine teams in the league since he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the eighth pick and traded to the Chicago Bulls in 2000. As a 1.96-meter-tall combo guard, Crawford had clear street basketball style in his game. Power has never been his merit, but Crawford had the league's well-versed dribbling skills in his best years.
He has averaged 14.6 points in 1,327 regular-season games and maintained double-digit points in 16 seasons. Crawford played 896 games off the bench and was named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2009-10. 2013-14 and 2015-16 season. He and Lou Williams shared the record of winning this award for the most time in NBA history. Crawford had 11,274 of the 19,414 points in his career, the most in history. The other one who could score over 11,000 points off the bench was Dell Curry.
Jamal Crawford (#11) of the New York Knicks shoots in the game against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, U.S., April 26, 2007. /CFP
Shooting to kill, especially from downtown, was why Crawford could always find a job despite his poor defense and declining athleticism. He has made 2,221 triples, the eighth-most in league history, more than Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic and Steve Nash.
Such 3-point shooting ability explains why Crawford can keep the following NBA records.
Jamal Crawford (L) of the Golden State Warriors shoots in the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, December 20, 2008. /CFP
He has completed a total 60 4-point plays.
He's the only player who has scored 50+points in four different teams – 50 for the Bulls in 2004, 52 for the New York Knicks in 2007, 50 for the Golden State Warriors in 2008 and 51 for the Phoenix Suns in 2019.
Jamal Crawford (#11) of the Phoenix Suns shoots in the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, U.S., April 9, 2019. /CFP
When he had 51 points in 2019, he broke Nick Anderson's record of the highest score by a bench player.
He was 39 years and 20 days old when he did so, breaking the record of scoring 50+points at the oldest age, which had been kept by Michael Jordan (38 years and 315 days old).