James Crawford (basketball)
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.
| 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 | |
| |
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
During his NBL career, the "Alabama Slamma" played for the Geelong Supercats (1982–1985), the Canberra Cannons (1986, 2003) and the Perth Wildcats (1987–1999). He played in a total of 504 NBL games, 371 of them for the Wildcats and currently sits third on the list of all time NBL scorers with 11,121 points, scoring at an average of 22.1 per game. He also sits third on the NBL all-time rebound list (behind only Mark Bradtke and Mark Davis) with 4,794 (9.5 per game) and second in blocked shots with 788 (1.5 per game).
Crawford, who at 6'8" (203 cm) was a power forward or centre, was an integral part of the Perth Wildcats three NBL Championships during the 1990s (1990, 1991 and 1995) combining with teammates Kendal "Tiny" Pinder, Ricky Grace, Mike Ellis, Andrew Vlahov and playing coach Cal Bruton to be part of the most successful team of the decade. He was also selected to the NBL's All-First Team four times (1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987) and was selected to the NBL's 20th Anniversary Team in 1998 and the NBL's 25th Anniversary Team in 2004. In addition, Crawford was also often an automatic selection to the NBL All-Star Game due to his outstanding play.
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.
In 2013, Crawford returned to Perth for the Wildcats' 30th Anniversary Legends Game.[2]
On February 4, 2013, Crawford was named in the Perth Wildcats 30th Anniversary All-Star team.[3][4]
In November 2013, he was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.[5]
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) |
|---|---|
| Rebounds: | 4,794 (9.5 pg – 3rd All-time) |
| Points: | 11,121 (22.1 pg) |
| Free Throws: | 1,959 / 2,856 (68.6%) |
| Field Goals: | 4,572 / 8,361 (54.7%) |
| 3 Points: | 18 / 83 (21.7%) |
| Steals: | 1.1 pg |
| Assists: | 1.8 pg |
| Blocked Shots: | 788 (1.6 pg – 2nd All-time) |
Trivia
- His #7 jersey is one of six jerseys that have been retired by the Wildcats and is displayed at Perth Arena during Wildcats home games.
References
- Jim DeWitt (2007-05-31). "Thomas Wolfe was Wrong". The Democrat Reporter. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- 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