Former NBA great Jamal Crawford provides update on offer to join Kentucky as assistant coach
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Jamal Crawford has spent recent years balancing his time as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Seattle’s Rainer Beach High School, with his duties as an NBA analyst on NBC.
That’s come amid interest from Mark Pope in adding the former NBA standout to his staff at Kentucky. After that seemingly failed to materialize, it looks as if it could be on once more. Crawford informed Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim and Jacob Polacheck on Sunday that he is “still considering the offer.”
Kentucky’s previous pursuit of Crawford was notable. The Wildcats pushed heavily to gain a commitment from Tyran Stokes, the nation’s No. 1 player in the class of 2027. Stokes, a Louisville native, happens to play at Rainier Beach, so it’s not hard to connect the dots here. However, Kansas ended up winning out on Stokes, who signed with the Jayhawks in April. That said, the Wildcats could have their eyes on another player: Crawford’s son, J.J., who is a rising star that just wrapped up his freshman year at Rainier Beach.
Of course, looking at the trajectory of the Wildcats — and Pope’s struggles on the recruiting trail — there’s not a guarantee that Pope will even be here in 2029. Kentucky went from a 24-12 mark and a Sweet 16 berth in 2024-25 to a 22-14 record and an exit in the Round of 32 in 2025-26.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
