Former NBA guard Jamal Crawford is leaving his position as an analyst for TNT Sports, per Brendon Kleen of Awful Announcing.
Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly made Crawford an offer to return for what appears to be its final season carrying NBA games. It lost in its bid to be part of the league's new media rights deal — with ESPN/ABC and newcomers NBC and Amazon Prime taking over 2025-26. WBD/TNT is currently suing the NBA to try to retain rights, though most don't expect it to win.
Crawford worked alongside Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller in TNT's top broadcast booth. He joins NBA insider Chris Haynes as two key parts of TNT broadcasts to reportedly exit the network. More presumably are on the way.
"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," Kleen wrote.
Crawford, 44, played in the NBA from 2000-2020 and is considered one of the best sixth men in league history. He was originally selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2000 draft. He won Sixth Man of the Year on three occasions.
Originally drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Crawford spent time with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets. That's nearly a third of the league's teams.
He carries career averages of 14.6 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 1,327 games.
"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," Kleen wrote. "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."
