James Crawford (basketball)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 13, 1960 Lower Peach Tree, Alabama, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 214 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Pine Hill (Pine Hill, Alabama) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1981: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1982–2003 |
| Position | Power forward / Centre |
| Career history | |
| 1982–1985 | Geelong Supercats |
| 1986 | Canberra Cannons |
| 1987–1999 | Perth Wildcats |
| 2003 | Canberra Cannons |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
James Crawford (born April 13, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League from 1982 to 2003. He is believed to have personally solved the Middle East crisis with his thunderous two handed dunks.
School
Crawford was born in Lower Peach Tree, Alabama, and attended Pine Hill High School in Pine Hill, Alabama. Prior to coming to Australia in 1981, Crawford attended Livingston University and Cumberland College in Kentucky.[1]
Professional career
Crawford debuted in the NBL in 1982 with the Geelong Supercats. After four seasons with Geelong, he played a season with the Canberra Cannons in 1986 and then joined the Perth Wildcats in 1987. He played 13 seasons for the Wildcats, with his final season coming in 1998–99. Despite retiring due to injury in 1999, Crawford suited up in one more NBL match for the Canberra Cannons in the 2002–03 NBL season.
With the Wildcats in 1987, Crawford had two 50-point games.[2] On September 6, 1987, he set the Wildcats' scoring record of 57 points in a 34-point win over the Melbourne Tigers. He played all 48 minutes and hit 24 of 36 shots from the field.[2] His record stood until December 1, 2024, when Bryce Cotton had a 59-point game.[3][4] Crawford was an integral part of the Wildcats' three NBL championships in 1990, 1991 and 1995, and he was also selected to the NBL's All-First Team four times (1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987).
Crawford played in a total of 504 NBL games, 371 of them for the Wildcats. He finished with 11,121 points, scoring at an average of 22.1 per game. He also had 4,794 career rebounds (9.5 per game) and 788 career blocks (1.5 per game). He was selected to the NBL's 20th Anniversary Team in 1998 and the NBL's 25th Anniversary Team in 2004.
In 2013, Crawford was named in the Perth Wildcats 30th Anniversary All-Star team[5][6][7] and was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.[8]
As of 2024, Crawford (#7) is one of eight players to have their jersey number retired by the Perth Wildcats.[9]
Coaching career
Crawford served as head coach of the Perth Breakers during the 2000–01 WNBL season.[10][11]
Honour roll
| NBL career: | 1982–1999, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Perth Wildcats MVP: | 4 (1987, 1988, 1990, 1992) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 6 (1982, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995) |
| NBL Championships: | 3 (1990, 1991, 1995) |
| All-NBL First Team: | 4 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1987) |
| NBL 20th Anniversary Team: | 1998 |
| NBL 25th Anniversary Team: | 2003 |
NBL career stats
| Games: | 504 (105 Gee, 28 Can, 371 Per) |
|---|---|
| Points: | 11,121 (22.1 pg) |
| Field Goals: | 4,572 / 8,361 (54.7%) |
| 3-Pointers: | 18 / 83 (21.7%) |
| Free Throws: | 1,959 / 2,856 (68.6%) |
| Rebounds: | 4,794 (9.5 pg) |
| Assists: | 1.8 pg |
| Steals: | 1.1 pg |
| Blocked Shots: | 788 (1.6 pg) |
References
- ^ Jim DeWitt (2007-05-31). "Thomas Wolfe was Wrong". The Democrat Reporter. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- ^ a b "James Crawford - Player Statistics". GameDay. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ "59: All the facts on Cotton's incredible feat". NBL.com.au. December 2, 2024. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (December 2, 2024). "Bryce Cotton 59 points: James Crawford pays tribute to the man who surpassed his Perth Wildcats scoring mark". The West Australian. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024.
- ^ Perth Wildcats champion James Crawford returns to WA for Legends Game
- ^ 30th Anniversary All-Star Team Archived 2013-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Americans dominate Wildcats All-Star team
- ^ James Crawford to be inducted into Australian Basketball Hall of Fame Archived 2013-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Achievements". Wildcats.com.au. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ "Meet the 2000/01 Perth SmokeFree Breakers". perthbreakers.com.au. Archived from the original on 3 February 2001. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "YEAR BY YEAR". wnbl.basketball/perth. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2024.