Jamal Crawford has had plenty of unforgettable moments, but his best performance? That came at Madison Square Garden against the Miami Heat. The Knicks guard dropped a scorching 52 points, missing his first four shots before sinking 16 straight. He went on an unreal scoring streak, hitting eight threes and torching the reigning NBA champions. “It was the hottest night of my life,” Crawford recalled, feeling unstoppable with every shot he took.
In a 2018 interview with Dan Woike of LA Times, Crawford reflected on that night. He emphasized how locked in he was, barely even noticing the basket. With seven minutes left, he was subbed out, but he believed he could have easily hit 65. The performance left fans, players, and even opponents stunned.
Years later, Dwyane Wade admitted on his podcast that he had never witnessed anything like it. “Jamal Crawford, I have never seen a player go off like this in my life,” Wade said. His teammate Dorell Wright backed it up, describing how Crawford “hit 17 buckets in a row, consecutive.” He added, “He was whooping our a–“. Wright recalled sitting on the bench, watching Miami dominate early before everything shifted. Crawford got hot, and suddenly, the Heat had no answer.
Wright was eventually called into the game to defend him but he knew it was too late. “He already hot,” Wright said. “So what they gonna show on ESPN? The last three. So it look like I’m getting my a– whooped the whole game.” Crawford’s performance was so dominant that it made his defenders look helpless, regardless of when they were subbed in.
Crawford recently posted a clip of the performance on Instagram, adding a playful caption. He credited his motivation that night to facing Wade, fresh off a championship. He remained humbled as he wrote, “I had to tap into my ‘outer body experience’ button . Hottest night of my life. Respect to the legends!”. Wade later replied in the comments, writing, “Sometimes respect feels personal haha Man I’ve never seen nothing like that in my life.” The mutual respect between the two NBA legends was clear in their messages.
Wade has witnessed some of the most electrifying performances in basketball history—both as a player and as a spectator. Whether it was Crawford’s 52-point explosion at Madison Square Garden or the legendary battles he had throughout his career, he’s seen greatness up close. But even with all those moments, one experience stood out beyond just basketball—his time with Kobe Bryant during the 2008 Olympics.
Dwyane Wade’s eye-opening moment with Kobe Bryant
During Team USA’s trip to China, Wade noticed Kobe Bryant’s global presence was unlike anything he had seen. On his YouTube podcast, Wade admitted, “First of all, you thought you were famous, until you went to China with Kobe.” The way the fans reacted made it clear—Kobe was in a league of his own.
But the real defining moment happened in the Olympic Village. Wade recalled how Kobe made it a point to connect with other athletes. “This is when I realized he was at a different level than I….This m———– could speak 9 different languages; he spoke to everybody in their native tongue.”
Wade walked away from that experience with a greater appreciation for what it meant to be truly legendary. Kobe wasn’t just a superstar; he was a global icon whose influence reached far beyond the game. For Wade, that trip to China was a defining moment, proving that even among the greats, there are levels to greatness.
Kobe wasn’t just a basketball legend—he was a worldwide icon, connecting with people in a way that went beyond the game. And in that moment, Wade realized: there’s great, there’s legendary, and then there’s Kobe.
The post Blaming Dwayne Wade, Jamal Crawford Goes Down 18YO Memory Lane To Relive “Whopping” Miami’s “A–“ appeared first on EssentiallySports.