Jamal Crawford recounts how Michael Jordan helped him meet Jay-Z

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Jamal Crawford was our guest on the latest Bulls Talk Podcast and when speaking to our Bulls insider KC Johnson about his relationship with Michael Jordan, he recalled just how they initially got to know each other.

"When I was in college going through the draft process my dad was like, 'Hey Michael Jordan loves your game,' I'm like dad?"

"This is before social media; this is before any of that so I'm like, 'Dad, get out of here, there's no way you can know that Michael Jordan likes my game.'"

Crawford was selected eighth overall in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and then was promptly sent to the Bulls as part of a draft-day trade for center Chris Mihm. Later, Crawford was contacted very early one morning, "Six [in the morning]" as Crawford recalls it and it was Jordan's trainer Tim Grover, who simply told him, "Hey MJ said you can meet him....come down now."

After getting along with Jordan through many workout sessions, Crawford says they started working out "every summer." After working out extensively over time with Jordan, Crawford would get back home to Seattle and call everyone he knew early in the morning to let them know how amazed he was that he actually is living out a dream getting to workout and be friends with MJ. 

Eventually, MJ liked Jamal so much he would wait for Crawford to arrive before playing pickup games. Crawford had to workout at the Berto Center [former Bulls practice facility] first before meeting MJ but it was all worth it in his eyes.

After he and Jordan were quite close, Jordan eventually invited the young Crawford to take part in his pickup basketball games. Crawford stated that their dominance was a sight to behold. Over two consecutive years, Jordan and Crawford's team never lost.

"When I say we didn't lose, it wasn't like we didn't lose that whole day and they got the series, like, we didn't lose one single game in two years. It was unbelievable, we beat everybody.

"That kind of went into me meeting Jay-Z. Imagine getting so tight with Michael Jordan you're like 'Hey I wanna meet Jay-Z and he's like 'OK,' and he makes it happens like that. It was unbelievable. Going to his house, working out with him, him picking me to be in the commercial with him to play the young Jordan..."

-Jamal Crawford on meeting Jay-Z and getting to play MJ in a Gatorade ad

The commercial Crawford was referring to was a Gatorade ad in which Jordan takes on a younger version of himself in one-on-one and Crawford was actually used as the "young MJ" actor for the commercial. 

When Crawford's father originally told him Jordan was a fan of his game, he thought there was no way in the world it could be possible. Fast-forward several months later and Crawford is working out with MJ and Jay-Z, and eventually going on to play one of his idols in a commercial. The turn of events played out like something straight out of a movie and Crawford acknowledges to this day, he is thankful for the great experiences he has had over the years through his friendship with Jordan.

"All of those things...incredible."

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