The Seattle Pro-Am is still officially hosted by Jamal Crawford, and players like Nate Robinson and Isaiah Thomas could be considered more starry local names. But for all intents and purposes, the northwest’s premier summer hoops circuit is now owned by Zach LaVine.
The Minnesota Timberwolves guard was at his sky-walking best during Friday’s highly anticipated matchup between members of the Seattle Pro-Am and Los Angeles’ Drew League. After helping his team to an insurmountable double-digit lead with final seconds ticking off the game clock, LaVine made the most of the ensuing impromptu dunk-off – and even had help from another iconic high-flier.
His effortlessly graceful and powerful alley-oop windmill is awesome, but hardly something we haven’t seen before. Even a jam this sick is light work for an otherworldly leaper like LaVine. But check out who’s throwing him the lob. Yup, that’s Robinson, a state of Washington legend and three-time champion of the NBA’s dunk contest.
Though LaVine has quickly emerged as the biggest draw in Seattle, it’s not like long-time Pro-Am mainstays have officially passed him the torch. Crawford, in fact, broke a competitive game wide open in the late third and early fourth quarters with a barrage of triples.
@JCrossover has a great sense of the moment. The announcer just made the whole crowd stand up for him and then he popped a 3 over Stanley
— Ross Preston (@prestonr88) August 29, 2015
. @JCrossover with another 3 to end the 3rd. This time from waaayyyy baacckkk! #HeatinUP
— TheCrawsOver (@thecrawsover) August 29, 2015
. @JCrossover starts off the 4th with another three ball! this time its in @DWRIGHTWAY1 's face! #OnFire
— TheCrawsOver (@thecrawsover) August 29, 2015
Once the 35-year-old host is finally and regrettably ready to take a backseat, though, it’s obvious his summer circuit will be in great hands. If LaVine keeps these summer antics up going forward, the Seattle Pro-Am seems bound to reach even greater heights in the near and distant future.
[Via Ballislife 2.0, via Ross Preston and Seattle Pro-Am]