Jamal Crawford shares how his 52-point explosion in 2007 inspired the late Heath Ledger: "You never know who's watching"

Yahoo

16-07-2025

Jamal Crawford shares how his 52-point explosion in 2007 inspired the late Heath Ledger: "You never know who's watching" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Jamal Crawford scoring 52 points against the Miami Heat on January 26, 2007 stands out for several reasons. First, it was the highest-scoring game of his 20-year NBA career. Second, it became one of the few bright moments for New York Knicks fans during a difficult era.
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And third, a lesser-known fact: this performance by the former shooting guard actually inspired the late actor Heath Ledger, who won an Academy Award in 2009, to start playing basketball himself.
Star power on display
Recently, three-time Sixth Man of the Year Crawford joined "Eye for the Game" and reflected on that electric night in late January 2007.
Both the Knicks (18–24) and the Heat (18–22) entered the game with losing records after slow starts to the season. Normally, that would mean just another forgettable midseason matchup. But this time, Crawford — the eighth pick in the 2000 NBA Draft — had other plans.
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At the time in his third year with the team, the Seattle native remembered stepping onto the floor at Madison Square Garden before tipoff and instantly feeling the energy. As usual, the lights, buzz, and star power were all there. Among the faces in the crowd: Ledger.
Back then, the actor from Perth, Australia was on a hot streak, fresh off "Brokeback Mountain," "A Knight's Tale," and "The Patriot," with his now-iconic turn as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy just months from release. Crawford likely spotted him right away.
"I always look to see like faces in the crowd, celebrities," the former Michigan Wolverine recounted.
Related: "In my 20 years, he was probably the best offensive player or best player I've seen" - Dirk Nowitzki on why Kobe Bryant was undeniably the greatest player he ever faced in his career
Inspiring Ledger's basketball passion
Ledger, who tragically died a year later from an accidental drug overdose, had front-row seats to the game — where Crawford's scoring brilliance was on full display.
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Against the Heat, the skilled guard shot 20 of 30 from the field, including eight of 10 from three-point range, and made all four of his free throws. Leading the Knicks to a 116-96 win over the defending champions, JC, who logged in nearly 40 minutes, was the clear man of the match.
Nearly two decades later, the now 45-year-old reflected on Ledger's reaction to him taking over that night.
Crawford recalled getting an email six months ago from someone who was at the game with Ledger. After watching the Knicks player's explosive performance, they headed to "The Spotted Pig" in Manhattan. They hung out with the restaurant's investor and hip-hop icon Jay-Z. According to the message, Heath told Jay about Jamal scoring 52 points, which inspired him to pick up basketball himself.
"Just know that you had an effect on him playing basketball," the email concluded.
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Podcast host and former NBA player Austin Reaves was stunned by Crawford's story.
"So, he's (Ledger) thinking, 'All right, going to my first Knicks game, basketball game. This dude goes for 52 against the championship team," he said. "Then I go out, I'm hanging out with Jay-Z. He's talking about you, and now he wants to play basketball."
"That's crazy…You never know who's watching. You just never know," Crawford replied.
They say basketball connects people unexpectedly, and this story is a perfect example.
Related: Jamal Crawford on Isiah Thomas benching him early in 52-point game at MSG: "I would have got 65, easy"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.