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NBA Legend Slams Everything Wrong About Youth Basketball in the United States

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics
By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated 3/7/24

After 20 years of playing in the NBA, Jamal Crawford has gained the reputation as one of the best reserve players of all time. As such, his claim about youth basketball in the United States and how it’s being destroyed holds some credibility due to his experience as a professional basketball player and analyst.

Selected by the Chicago Bulls in 2000 using the eight pick , Crawford went on to become one of the league’s greatest scorers from the bench. He played for different teams, such as the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks, among others.

Over the course of his career, the crafty guard posted averages of 14.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. Also, he shot 41 percent from the field, 34 percent from three, and 86 percent from the free throw line.

As a result of his stellar career as a reserve, Crawford was afforded the Sixth Man of the Year award three times in his career. The first happened in 2010, then in 2014, and the last happened in 2016.

NBA Legend Jamal Crawford Blasts Delusional Parents As Problem Behind Youth Basketball In United States

Thanks to his credentials, both as a player and an NBA analyst, Crawford knows what he’s talking about when it comes to basketball. As such, he identified delusional parents being the main problem of the AAU system in a post he shared on X:

“There is alot wrong with AAU. BUT the PARENTS are near the top of the list. It’s sickening. The delusion that exist is crazy. If we’re always making excuse’s for our children’s behavior where it has to be someone else’s fault, and we’re not teaching them accountability, we’re setting them up to fail.

If we’re always criticizing a coach or program who is given their own time to benefit YOUR child’s development and well being, and that’s not enough, you should coach them to give them all you want them to have. As parents we have to be better,” Crawford said.

Having to deal with these parents is likely Crawford’s solution to the problem they’re causing in the United States’ youth basketball program. The NBA legend addressed them by saying that they have to be better as parents to their children.

It won’t be known whether Crawford’s message will be taken to heart by these parents. Nevertheless, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year has some pretty strong points and they should be considered by those involved in the AAU system.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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