SEATTLE — For the second year in a row, Seattle hosted an NBA preseason game, but for the 16th year in a row, Seattle will not have an NBA team of its own.
The Seattle SuperSonics left a supersized basketball void in western Washington.
Lucky for diehard fans, Seattle's most influential basketball voice has been hard at work.
After a summer of dunks at The CrawsOver Pro-Am, Jamal Crawford is back on the desk with a message for a national audience.
"We have something special," Crawford said.
The Seattle native and former Rainier Beach star is into his second season as an analyst for TNT.
The three-time 6th Man of the Year fittingly started on the broadcasting bench.
"TNT called like, 'Hey Charles is out, come in and just fill in for him.' I'm filling in for the great Charles Barkley," Crawford said of his debut appearance.
But he would soon crack the starting rotation.
"Like the third or fourth time I got bit by the bug and I was like, 'I want to do this,'" he said.
There was plenty of rookie hazing last year, but as no stranger to the spotlight, Crawford is now a seasoned vet.
"Racing to the board with Kenny (Smith) or Charles, it was the best introduction I could've had. I'm learning from legends. Now I want to be just as good as that as I was on the court," he said.
For Crawford's sophomore season, he's looking to strike the right tone.
"Just to be able to get your point across in a concise way, not to over talk, knowing when to jump in, but then also don't lose your voice. If you have something good, say it. Say it with your chest," he said.
Crawford actually has something to get off his chest.
NBA expansion is weighing on him.
"When (the Sonics) left in 2008, I was one of the ones (saying), 'Oh they'll be back in three years, they'll be back, Sonics will be back.' Three years went by, 'Oh they'll be back in two years,' and so I've been playing this game. I can honestly say this is the first time I truly believe in my heart of hearts that it'll be back soon," he said.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said the possibility of adding teams is approaching the top of his to-do list.
It's perhaps next on the docket after a new media rights deal in 2024.
Crawford says Seattle is ready for the Sonics to return. He's seen the appetite firsthand, as his Pro-Am league continues to be a summertime sensation.
"We've kind of held down the fort as being the closest thing you get to the NBA and I take great pride in that," he said.
The league is inspired by his childhood.
"I grew up on the Sonics," he said. "I worked in the old Key Arena. I was the guy who brought food up from the basement to the concession stand. It's a 10-minute trip, but I would make it 30 minutes because I was looking at the court, standing in the hallway."
Crawford said he wants to bring that experience to the children of Seattle today.
"This generation and the generation before doesn't really have that, so I feel like it's my responsibility to kind of bring that," he said. "I want kids to be able to dream, be able to reach their favorite heroes."
And while it'll be yet another season without the NBA in Seattle, seasons could be changing soon.
"I'm here to be of service to people and represent Seattle in that way because I owe people in Seattle everything," he said.
