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“Isiah Thomas or Kyrie Irving?”: Jamal Crawford and Shannon Sharpe have different opinions about who the greatest ballhandler of all time is

Advait Jajodia
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"Isiah Thomas or Kyrie Irving?": Jamal Crawford and Shannon Sharpe have different opinions about who the greatest ballhandler of all time is

Jamal Crawford names a few of the top ball handlers in the NBA. Out of all, he believes that Isiah Thomas is the best and Kyrie Irving is 2nd.

When talking about the flashiest point guard, the flamboyant skill of dribbling the ball is generally spoken about. In the entire history of the game, there have been a few players who have absolutely mastered the skill of dribbling the ball and managed to leave fans in awe with their suave.

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NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe named the player who he thought had the best handles in league history. Sharpe named Brooklyn Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving as that player. On the ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast, Sharpe hosted the 3-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford. Shannon praised Kyrie Irving and said:

“We see these guys with tremendous handles now. We’ve seen Steph Curry. I think Kyrie Irving has the best handles that I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen Rod Strickland, Isiah Thomas, yourself (Jamal Crawford) and Stephon Marbury, had crazy handles.”

“There was a top shelf for handles, I’ll be there”: Jamal Crawford lists his top ball handlers

Jamal Crawford was one of the best players off the bench in the league’s history. Day and night he gave the team the energy they needed off the bench. The 41-year-old guard had one of the shiftiest handles we’ve ever seen which would not only fake the defenders out, but sometimes confuse his own teammates too. He believed he was amongst the greatest handlers to play the game. He said:

“I hate talking about myself, to be honest with you. But I would say I’m top tier. If there was a top-shelf of greats, I’d be on that top shelf.”

Shannon asked Crawford to name the top ball handlers that have played in the league. The 6-foot-5 combo guard said:

“I’m not gonna include myself, not gonna do that. I’m gonna put, Isiah Thomas. I’ll put Kyrie. (I’m) gonna put ‘White Chocolate’ (Jason Williams) and I gotta put Allen Iverson/ Rod Strickland/ Nick Van Axel/ Stephon Marbury/ Chris Paul.”

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All these great athletes impacted the game in their own way. As the game continues to evolve more, with offensive skill sets deeper than before, it’s only about time that the upcoming players take the ball handling skill to the next level.

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, a seasoned NBA journalist, has had a passion for the game for over a decade. His journey from admiring Kobe Bryant's precision to being in awe of Stephen Curry's long-range mastery instilled a profound understanding of basketball. With a background as a two-time National-level player, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 21-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 3,350+ articles.

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