“Michael was operating in such a space, when he played, it allowed you to dream” - Jamal Crawford says Michael Jordan had 5 superpowers in one

Jamal Crawford discussed his first meeting with Michael Jordan and how His Airness became a fan of his game. He has often shared the story of getting drafted in 2000 and meeting a 39-year-old Jordan in the gym. Crawford remembered how mesmerized he was to be in the presence of arguably the greatest of all time. He said there was a special aura around MJ.

On "The Hoop Genius Podcast," Crawford talked about how meeting Jordan was different than meeting other superstars:

"Well, first off ... I've never seen anything like it. Michael was operating in such a space. When he played, it allowed you to dream, which is different for me to watch. Like, I've watched a lot of players, and they were cold. They had a lot of this and that, they had their superpower. All of the greats have their superpower.

"They had a superpower, but him it was like he had five superpowers in one. So, it allows you to dream."

Just like every superstar has their own bag of tricks, Jordan had an indefinitely deep bag. He could do it all on a basketball court – and on both ends of the floor as well. All-Stars would get humbled when they played Jordan, so a 20-year-old Crawford was certainly going to get swept off his feet.

Crawford shared the story of meeting Jordan for the first time. During the 2000 draft process, his father told him that the great Jordan liked his game. An adolescent Crawford couldn't believe his father at the time. He recalled the story on the "Legends of Sports" and also on "The Hoop Genius Podcast:"

"My dad told me when I was going through the draft process. He's like 'MJ likes your game.' This (was) before social media (and) like that. I’m like, 'Dad, you don't know Michael Jordan. What do you mean he likes my game?' ... I get drafted (to) Chicago (picked No, 8 by the Cleveland Cavaliers but then moved in a draft-night deal).

"(Star personal trainer) Tim Grover calls me, and we're like, 'Hey, MJ is interested to meet you.'"

A young Crawford was certainly excited to meet Jordan for the first time, so he giddily reached the gym as a 39-year-old Jordan practiced defensive slide drills. He said Jordan complimented his game and invited him to work out that summer:

"So, I get to the gym. It’s MJ, Tim Grover and myself. It's my first time ever seeing him. But when I first saw him, it looked like he had a glow around him. I've never seen this before. I've heard Allen Iverson say this. I've heard people say he has his thing about him."

Jamal Crawford reflected on playing pickup games with Michael Jordan

Jamal Crawford of the Phoenix Suns

Jamal Crawford was a guest on the "Leaving a Legacy" podcast, and he recalled the days he used to play pickup games with Michael Jordan. The two worked out together in the summer with the Chicago Bulls, and Crawford remembered that the duo never lost a single pickup game in two years. He said:

"I actually get a chance to work out with him. While I’m working out with him, he’s teaching me different things, so we were on teams together in pickup for two straight years and never lost one game.

"And, gee, when I say one game, I don’t mean we won five that day and they won four. We didn’t lose one single game within that day for two straight years. We never lost, and it was unbelievable."

Many years later, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year broke Jordan's NBA record as the oldest player with a 50-point game. Crawford dropped 51 points in Dirk Nowitzki's last game for the Dallas Mavericks. He was 39 years and 20 days old at the time, while Jordan was 38 years and 315 days when he broke the record.

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