LeBron James to play in Jamal Crawford’s CrawsOver Classic in Seattle: Full timeline of basketball pro-ams Lakers star has played in

Abraham Smith

Jamal Crawford is bringing all the big guns to his hometown of Seattle this summer for his CrawsOver Classic tournament. On Friday, he confirmed that he’s been given the biggest name in basketball, LeBron James.

Crawford announced an all-star group of players will be attending his CrawsOver Pro-Am League on Saturday, including James, Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, former NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas and rookies Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero.

In July, James played in the famous Drew League in Los Angeles. This game was his first competitive action since his 2021-22 NBA season was suspended through injury.

Earlier this week, James and the Lakers agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension that will see him stay with the franchise through the end of the 2024-25 season.

James responded to the announcement on Twitter, expressing his excitement at returning to basket-mad Seattle.

James has played in other Pro-Ams in the past. The Sporting News has the list below.

MORE: How LeBron James’ contract extension affects Lakers’ long-term plans

Rucker Park, 2003

This is probably the most famous — and stacked — Pro-Am team of all time. Of. All. Time.

LeBron played for Jay-Z’s team S. Carter alongside Crawford, Lamar Odom and Sebastian Telfair.

This tournament also went down in hip-hop history because of the championship game controversy.

At the time, Jay-Z was involved in rap beef with Bronx rapper Fat Joe, who had a team with Stephon Marbury, Al Harrington and Zach Randolph in the tournament.

The two teams were scheduled to meet in the championship game before a citywide blackout in New York caused a postponement.

According to Crawford, Jay-Z had called up a few other NBA stars to play for his roster in the Finals, and there are many rumors that Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady would play alongside James.

The game was eventually postponed, but none of the above players, including James, played in the game. Fans were denied the chance to see one of, if not the, greatest Pro-Am game of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wcbw39Pyd0

Melo League, 2011

It was summer 2011 and the NBA was in the middle of a lockout. It was a glory time for Pro-Am tournaments across the country as players just wanted to ride. James played in his good friend Carmelo Anthony’s Melo League in Baltimore in a match against the famous Goodman League.

This game saw three-fourths of what would become the “Banana Boat” crew – James, Anthony and Chris Paul – against a Goodman League team featuring Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall and Brandon Jennings.

Drew League, 2011 and 2021

Established in 1973, the Drew League has grown into one of the premier Pro-Am basketball leagues, with NBA players competing each year.

It is also one of the few summer Pro-Am tournaments to be officially sanctioned by the league.

James first played in the Drew League in 2011 (the lockout year) and again a few weeks ago.

James teamed up with Drew League regular DeMar DeRozan in his last appearance and put on a show. The Lakers forward had 42 points and 16 rebounds as DeRozan’s MMV Cheaters defeated Black Pearl Elite 104-102.

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