What does Jamal Crawford have in common with Hakeem Olajuwo and Kevin Garnett? The kind of rare skills that only they can pass down to the next generation. That’s why Victor Wembanyama cherry-picked each of his veteran trainers. Usually, Crawford isn’t put on the same plane as the two NBA champions. But even Michael Jordan personally acknowledged that J’Craws’ talent is one of a kind. Obviously, Wemby was going to give him a call.

Jamal Crawford sat down with Marshawn Lynch to talk about his criminally underrated legacy. Handles like Crawford built the Lob City era of the Clippers. He made history coming off the bench and taking the Sixth Man award three times. Yet not a single All-Star nod?

His unorthodox and risky style apparently went against him. Yet Crawford told Lynch that while it hurt at the moment, he’s made his peace with it because of his peers and a younger generation that looks up to him. “I just went through everything. Like I said, I was that person in the band that could do everything, and I did it at a high level. And my peers know that.”

The most recent acknowledgment came from Victor Wembanyama. “Why do you think I’m training Wemby?” Crawford has the bragging rights to say. “Wemby could train with anybody. And there are other stars, I ain’t going to say their names, that text me like, ‘Yo, train me. Work. I don’t need you to train me.’ I’m like, ‘All right, it’s all good.'”

The Spurs’ young player has garnered a strong following among retired NBA players, many of whom would jump at the opportunity to coach him. However, he has specifically chosen a select group of veteran players to help him enhance his skills as a potential Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) candidate. Every time he has spent time with one of these legends, it has gone viral. Many people don’t realize how much it means to Jamal Crawford to be a part of this experience.

Wemby’s given Jamal Crawford his due

Most recently, Victor Wembanyama was learning the big man ropes from Hakeem Olajuwon, who’s trained Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This summer, he’s suddenly hanging with Kevin Garnett after training with Shaolin monks. Learning from a center and also a former DPOY made sense. It was unexpected when he hit up Jamal Crawford.

That was mostly because of the size difference. And not many expect Wemby to come off the bench or be a closer. But there’s a little bit of thrill picturing J’Craws’ showmanship with Wemby’s style. With the blessing of Gregg Poppovich, Wemby learnt footwork and handles firsthand from Crawford.

Teaching Wemby doesn’t require much effort, as Crawford mentions that Wemby can “download it in five minutes.” One of the most significant lessons the 6’5″ guard imparted to the 7’0″ French phenom was, “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?”

While spectators may question what Crawford can teach Wemby, any NBA player would attest to his talent. Crawford acknowledges this, saying, “It’s because of that respect. My peers knew, but the masses didn’t. I was okay with it because I wasn’t in this to be famous anyway. I didn’t care about that.”

Crawford’s nominations for the Hall of Fame are just as low as his All-Star selections, but he has the respect of his fellow NBA players, which he finds pretty cool.