“He Stole My Tapes”: Jordan Crawford Calls Out LeBron James Over Confiscated Nike Camp Dunk Footage

If Jordan Crawford ever boasts about bodying LeBron James and slamming a shot over him at a party, he would have to work hard to find some proof. One of the most memorable moments of his career lies forgotten in the lonely corners of the internet.

Very few NBA stars have had a stature as intimidating as James’s. He is tall, strong, and moves far too quickly for someone his size. Crawford, however, did not shy away from trying to pull off something special at a 2009 Nike camp, before he even got into the league.

The Xavier University alum brought a two-handed tomahawk right down next to James, who did not get enough height to prevent the shot from going in. However, this famous jam is now almost legendary thanks to Nike, and Crawford called James out on it recently.

Nike confiscated all material regarding this to protect Bron’s image. Some called it a “cover-up,” while others thought it was just all talk. ESPN and ABC, however, confirmed the reports when they came out. Fortunately, some footage of the moment still exists.

The now 36-year-old former star, during a recent interview with TFU, was asked what it was like to play against LeBron, and his answer seemed locked and loaded. “We always had weird encounters because he stole all my tapes,” he said.

“Every time I see him, I’m like, ‘Where my tape at, man?'” joked Crawford, and one of the interviewers asked him if he ever brought it up in front of James.

“I don’t ever bring it up,” the former Boston Celtics man solemnly responded.

Later, Crawford brought up some of his performances against James when he was in the league. “I had 39 on him when he was on the Heat. And then I beat him in Boston, we won on a last-second shot from Jeff Green. We were supposed to be a bad team that wasn’t good; we beat the best team in the league. So that was fun.”

If you think the Wizards alum had forgotten about his magical happening in his life, he hasn’t. Crawford joked in an old Instagram video that Nike promised him $500 if he postered LeBron, and still hasn’t been paid.

“I need my $500 for dunking on LeBron, man. It’s the price that went up. Now it’s like, $550. With interest on that,” he said after playing a pick-up game.

Crawford carved out a rare place in hoops history with that dunk on LeBron. Nike may have tried to hide it, but the story still lives through clips, jokes, and Crawford’s own playful reminders. He might never see that $”550 with interest, yet he’ll always be remembered as the guy who went up against The King and slammed it home.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

Read More