“Fear Was the Best Motivator”: Jamal Crawford Describes What Led Him to One-Up the Famed Allen Iverson Crossover

When it comes to handling the basketball, Jamal Crawford was in a league of his own. The electric guard introduced a series of dribbling moves throughout his 20-year career. Just like any other player, he had role models who pushed him to be his best. One driving force motivated him to one-up Allen Iverson’s famous crossover.

Just about every ball handler in the early 2000s looked up to Iverson. After all, the Philadelphia 76ers star revolutionized the way guards operate in the NBA, bridging the gap between professional and street basketball.

AI provided a blueprint for small guards on how to be effective. Iverson was only 6 feet tall, yet he led the NBA in scoring in four different seasons. Crawford found inspiration in Iverson’s mannerisms and took to the park to hone his abilities.

The basketball culture in Seattle, Washington, was rich during Crawford’s high school years. Though he eventually grew to 6’5″, as a teen, Crawford was only 5’9″. He said on Austin Rivers’ Eye for the Game, “I was always smaller, so I was always working on my handle.”

Because of Iverson’s boom in the NBA, many players tried to replicate his signature move. Crawford did too, but he realized he needed to change things up in order to stand out from the competition.

“The Iverson cross is what made me start doing the behind-the-back, ’cause once you try to do the Iverson cross in the hood, everybody wants to do it. ‘Oh, that’s the Iverson!’ So they knew what was coming, so it’s not working for me as well,” Crawford revealed.

That got Crawford thinking, “Man, what can I do? I can go behind the back. I can go behind the back-behind the back. I can go behind the back-behind the back-cross. I can go behind the back-behind the back-cross-hesi pull. So my mind is always trying to get the next.”

As he grew in stature and as a player, Crawford knew “[he was] going to see somebody from Orlando, Chicago, New York at some point.” He recalled thinking in those younger years, “I’ve got to be ready. So fear was the best motivator.” 

From trying to modify Iverson’s crossover, Crawford’s famous “shake and bake” move came to fruition. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year rejected complacency, and it led him to great feats in his basketball journey.

Crawford certainly turned his hard work into a memorable and successful NBA career. To this day, players all over the world try to emulate his dribble moves in parks and organized basketball games, just like how he once did with Iverson’s.