LOCAL NEWS
Fans flock Seattle Pacific University to catch LeBron, Tatum, and more at Saturday’s CrawsOver event
LeBron James’ return to the Emerald City has reignited the city’s fervent love for the NBA.
Huge, crowd at #Seattle Pacific for @thecrawsover games today- waiting to get in any minute here. @KING5Seattle pic.twitter.com/sHuV5qzHRN
— erica zucco (@ericazucco) August 20, 2022
A large crowd gathered early Saturday morning at Seattle Pacific University (SPU) with security on the scene for crowd control. However, the game ended prematurely due to condensation on the court.
Some fans even brought tents and camped outside the gym doors the night before to ensure they had a spot to watch the four-time league MVP alongside Jason Tatum, Dejounte Murray, Aaron Gordon, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and more.
People are already lining up for @thecrawsover tomorrow. Unreal dedication 👀🎥
📸: @Nolimitsu_ pic.twitter.com/rvOr81TK8g
— Sonics Forever (@SimplySonics) August 19, 2022
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 Bron said Mal, you know we gotta keep the party going, let’s get someone that’s never been to Seattle but they NEED to see!! Y’all also making his @thecrawsover debut, the unstoppable superstar, @jaytatum0 will be playing on Saturday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/S6cQI5DioU
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) August 20, 2022
Murray and Banchero are both Seattle natives who played high school basketball in the area — Rainier Beach High School and O’Dea High School respectively — while Holmgren played his one season of college basketball with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The CrawsOver Pro-Am League, hosted by Jamal Crawford, has been occurring all summer at SPU. Crawford won three 6th Man of the Year Awards during his 20-year NBA career, where he played for nine different franchises.
In past CrawsOver tournaments, NBA stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, and many more have made memorable appearances alongside some of Puget Sound’s finest NBA exports, from Crawford himself to Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Spencer Hawes.
The reignited excitement for men’s basketball will only help Seattle’s chances for a Supersonics return, if this is truly an audition for the NBA when the league inevitably expands to 32 franchises.
According to John Canzano, a Portland-based sports columnist, the league is expected to announce two new expansion teams once the association’s current TV media rights deal expires after 2024. The two favored locations are Seattle and Las Vegas.
