After two seasons in the studio for the NBA on TNT and a breakout postseason calling games in the network’s top booth alongside Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller, retired three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford will leave TNT Sports, sources tell Awful Announcing.
Warner Bros. Discovery made Crawford an offer to return for what will likely be TNT’s final season airing the NBA, per sources, but Crawford decided to pursue other options during a massive shift in NBA broadcasting ahead of the start of a new rights deal starting in 2025.
Crawford has received interest from various media companies and will consider roles from color commentary to studio analysis to podcasting.
Crawford previously announced he was a media free agent, but sources tell Awful Announcing that he recently decided to say goodbye to TNT after turning down a contract offer.
After joining TNT’s Tuesday night NBA studio show alongside Adam Lefkoe, Shaquille O’Neal, and Candace Parker in January 2023, Crawford graduated to the booth this spring, calling first- and second-round playoff games until Stan Van Gundy replaced him for the Western Conference Finals.
Former Los Angeles Clippers teammate turned media rabble-rouser turned NBA head coach JJ Redick said this year that before pitching LeBron James on their Mind the Game podcast, he pitched Crawford on a similar Xs and Os talk show while they played together.
TNT sued the NBA earlier this year after it failed to match Amazon and NBC’s offers to broadcast the league’s games starting next fall. While that means the end of the storied history of the NBA on TNT, it likely gives analysts like Crawford a wide selection of gigs to consider between those new networks as well as ESPN, which renewed with the NBA, and the many new digital media startups.
Crawford’s colleague Chris Haynes is reportedly also on his way out at TNT, according to the New York Post.
At 44, the rising star represents a long-term investment for whichever company he ultimately signs on with as his free agency plays out.
The NBA season tips off on Oct. 22.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.