The NBA stars are playing in a game. There is a time and a place for this.
A historic day at the CrawsOver Pro-Am featuring more NBA talent than has been on a court in Seattle since the league's last preseason visit ended early due to court conditions, but not before what organizers called an "unbelievable"
Since the CrawsOver moved to its current home on the campus of Seattle Pacific University, the pro-am has never reached the heights of hype.
The excitement started Friday when Crawford and James announced that the four-time Most Valuable Player would return to Seattle for the first time in more than a decade.
James was joined by other All-stars, as well as this year's top two draft picks, and two other first-timers.
Fans camped out overnight Friday to make sure they got a spot in the line. The gym was full after thousands remained outside.
The crowd included a Hall of Fame player and coach, Steve Ballmer, and several other people.
The crowd roared when James entered the gym a short time before the game. The Seattle Police Department warned that the entire event might be shut down after a crowd of onlookers surrounded James on the court, with Crawford taking the microphone to plead with fans to restore order.
condensation became an issue after the game started The combination of a full crowd and the heat made for wet spots on the court.
"It wasn't getting any better after they dried it, so they canceled the game with 5:47 left in the second quarter," said Beauchamp.
Crawford said that it's his job to protect everyone's safety. I didn't want those guys to get hurt on the court. That is not worth it. They did that because it was supposed to inspire and give hope. The job was done
The stars packed a lot of highlights into a quarter and a half of basketball. He blew a kiss to the crowd after hitting a series of long 3-pointers.
The day's top highlight was a high-arcing slam in transition by James and Tatum. James dunked at the end of the first Quarter.
Crawford thanked the visitors for their participation as he announced the end of the game.
He said that everyone probably wouldn't get in. We attempted to do the best we could. We wanted to provide an experience that hadn't been done before. It was great because I think it's moments and memories that the kids will always remember.
Beauchamp has played in the CrawsOver since he was a high school player in Seattle but never with competition like this.
The experience was one of a kind. You won't see that again. It was nice to be in Seattle and see all the great players. It was a dream of mine.
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