AL HAMNIK: Giving 'King' LeBron some Xavier love

CHICAGO | Guard Jordan Crawford would like you to know he averaged nearly 21 points a game in leading his Xavier squad to a 26-9 record and its third straight Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament.

As a sophomore.

In three tournament games, the former Indiana University player averaged 29 points, including a career-high 32 in the 101-96 double-overtime loss to Kansas State in a West Regional semifinal.

Only a sophomore. Did you get that?

Yet, at this week's NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, the most frequently asked question by media concerned "The Dunk" last July.

"Yeah, I get that all the time, nonstop," Crawford said, shaking his head in disgust.

The player posterized was Cavaliers superstar LeBron James at a very muscular 6-foot-8. Crawford's coming-out party occurred at the LeBron James Skills Academy, sponsored by Nike, in James' hometown of Akron.

Reportedly, Nike officials tried to confiscate any cameras or cell phones that may have captured the embarrassing moment on video, although Crawford claims that never happened.

Go to the Internet and you'll find dozens of videos showing Crawford nearly knocking The King's crown off with his own two-handed slam.

This was the NBA Draft Combine, remember, where top prospects are worked out, interviewed, worked out again, then meet with officials from all 30 NBA teams.

Crawford would've preferred talking to the media about his overall game, not that one fantasy move most amateur ballers only dream of.

"It was definitely blown out of proportion. It was just scrimmages. We was just playin'," Crawford said. "It wasn't even a big deal until after the camp. When the camp was goin' on, nobody talked about it.

"He brought some of his players he played with in high school and a couple other players who were goin' in the draft. We were just playin' basketball."

Crawford started eight of 30 games at Indiana, which finished 25-8 his freshman season. Eric Gordon was a teammate and Kelvin Sampson the coach. Crawford averaged 10 ppg, then left Bloomington when the university bought out Sampson's contract after several NCAA recruiting violations.

"I haven't talked to LeBron since," Crawford continued. "I didn't celebrate or pound my chest when the dunk happened. That's how I try to play the game. I've been playin' my whole life, so when you do somethin' like that, it shouldn't surprise you.

"You act like it never happened and you move on because everybody else is gonna move on."

The entire dunk sequence was over in seconds.

In one particular video, you get an elevated shot of Crawford coming at you on his way to the basket. As he goes airborne, James suddenly appears sliding over from the left baseline. Crawford doesn't flush it directly over LeBron's head. It's more like a clip.

"At the same time, he wasn't playin' his hardest, either," Crawford said. "How many times you see LeBron give up a dunk when he's playin' hard? He was just out there, havin' fun with his camp. It was a pleasure for him to be there. He knew everybody's name. It was a good time."

Rather than crack on this year's league MVP, Crawford wanted to talk about his college accomplishments and NBA hopes. But like now, media continued to bring up "The Dunk" even during the NCAA tournament.

"Yeah, it got worse then," Crawford said.

How many photos of the world-wide dunk does Crawford currently have hanging in his room? My guess was one wall, maybe two, completely covered.

"I got none," he replied.

Wow. Remember. Just a sophomore.

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at al.hamnik@nwi.com.

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