Jayson Tatum joining LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas at Jamal Crawford’s pro-am

Tatum to play with LeBron, IT, other NBA stars at Crawford pro-am originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

NBA fans looking to scratch their basketball itch will get quite the treat Saturday night.

Former NBA player Jamal Crawford will host his annual pro-am event, The CrawsOver, in his native Seattle on Saturday, and he’s assembled a star-studded group of NBA talent.

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and ex-Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas are among those who will play at The CrawsOver, while talented rookies Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren will take the court as well.

Crawford suggested James played a role in convincing him to invite Tatum, who will make his Seattle pro-am debut Saturday.

While Tatum and James are rivals on the court, they’re friendly off it, with both stars recently attending the wedding of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. After taking a much-needed break following Boston’s NBA Finals loss to Green’s Warriors, Tatum has been very active this summer, hosting a youth basketball camp in his native St. Louis and recently working out with Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, who has been linked to the Celtics in trade rumors.

Saturday’s game, which will be streamed live on NBA.com and the NBA App at 8:30 p.m. ET, should be a fun watch for Boston fans as Celtics stars of past (Thomas) and present (Tatum) go head-to-head with NBA royalty in James, who is participating in his first Seattle pro-am in more than 15 years.