Jamal Crawford has spent his post-playing career around basketball in several different roles, but he now sounds certain about where that path will eventually lead.
The three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year revealed that he turned down three NBA coaching opportunities this summer, including assistant-coaching possibilities and at least one situation in which he went through part of the process for a head-coaching position. Crawford said the issue was not a lack of interest. It was timing.
“I 1,000% know I’m going to be an NBA coach one day,” Crawford said. “And I’ve never said that publicly.”
For now, Crawford’s priority is his family.
He explained that his son made a USA Basketball team, taking the family to Turkey, while Crawford was simultaneously hearing from NBA organizations. Rather than committing himself to the demands of an NBA coaching staff, he decided to remain present for his son’s development and basketball journey.
That same family consideration also played a role when Crawford declined an opportunity to join Mark Pope’s staff at Kentucky earlier this summer. Crawford made clear then that he respected the opportunity but did not believe the timing was right to uproot his life while his son is still progressing through high school basketball.
His decision does not sound permanent.
Crawford said that once his son completes high school, he fully expects to enter NBA coaching.
“No doubt about it,” he said.
The interest from teams is not particularly surprising.
Crawford spent two decades in the NBA and became one of the league’s most respected guards, known for his ball-handling, scoring creativity and ability to understand offensive situations from virtually every position on the floor. Since retiring, he has remained closely connected to the game through broadcasting and coaching younger players. He has also worked as an assistant coach at Rainier Beach High School, where his son plays.
That combination gives Crawford a perspective that NBA organizations increasingly value: extensive playing experience, credibility with current players and an ability to communicate the game without being far removed from it.
What stands out most, however, is his certainty.
Crawford is not talking about coaching as something he might explore someday. He believes it is going to happen. The only question is when.
Three opportunities apparently arrived this summer, and Crawford chose family over all of them. Once that chapter changes, he expects the next one to begin on an NBA sideline.
