Lakers: Jamal Crawford gets real on how long it took before Kobe Bryant acknowledged him

Jamal Crawford is known by many for his crossovers and highlight plays. After all, that's where he garnered his nickname, “J-Crossover”, from. However, even a flashy star such as Crawford at one point was in awe of the great Kobe Bryant. In an episode of Run It Back, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year revealed that it took seven years before he was acknowledged by the Mamba himself.

“You know what, I was literally seven years in the league before he even acknowledged me on the court,” Crawford said, via Run It Back on FanDuel TV.

Crawford then shared a backstory on the game where Bryant finally acknowledged him while the former was still playing for the New York Knicks.

“At the time he (Bryant) became the youngest player to score 20,000 points — and I think he had 38 that game. I had one point at the half. They were beating us by 25. (In) the second half I scored 30, and I brought us all the way back to one point. And I remember on the court the first thing he said was ‘You're as hot as a pistol huh? Okay, here I come.' Then he came to guard me.”

"I was in the league 7 years before he acknowledged me or even knew that I existed. Guarding him was like no other. He was literally the best player I've ever played against."@JCrossover shares an awesome Kobe Bryant story 🙌@RunItBackFDTV | #NBA pic.twitter.com/z5bfiOimIC

— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) January 26, 2024

To earn Kobe Bryant's respect, Crawford had to be at his very best

Throughout Bryant's 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was known to be one of the most competitive players to ever step foot on the hardwood. To earn Kobe's respect, one had to perform at a very high level. And that's exactly what Jamal Crawford did, finishing with 31 points that night.

“I scored a couple (of points), I got a couple of assists and I was still rolling,” Crawford continued. “After the game, he (Bryant) came and gave me a dap and said ‘Good game my brother', and he grabbed my head and said something.”

As more and more players continue to share their personal experiences and stories about the NBA great, the legacy of Kobe Bryant continues to grow and live on among basketball fans all around the world.