The top-2 picks in the 2022 NBA Draft are headed to the Pacific Northwest to suit up in a pro-am. Earlier this week, it was announced that Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero will suit up and play in The CrawsOver, the annual basketball pro-am at Seattle Pacific University put on by former NBA player Jamal Crawford.
This Saturday we welcome Seattle’s own the #1 pick @Pp_doesit to #TheCrawsOver he is ready to put on a show for the city!!!! Doors open at 11:45am at Seattle Pacific University! #P5 #Seattle #NBA pic.twitter.com/nBOmnxtpiB
— TheCrawsOver (@thecrawsover) July 27, 2022
Banchero has played in The CrawsOver in the past, and it had been announced that he’s on the roster for Real Ballers, which also features Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. But we did get some news on Friday afternoon about another 2022 draft pick and CrawsOver alum showing up this weekend, as Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren will make a surprise appearance.
Breaking News
pic.twitter.com/pi4Ar8ODLG
— TheCrawsOver (@thecrawsover) July 29, 2022
Paolo Banchero & Chet Holmgren BOTH playing in the Crawsover tomorrow
@JCrossover @thecrawsover pic.twitter.com/coo6CFxkLW
— Overtime (@overtime) July 29, 2022
These two, along with Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves, are all confirmed to be in attendance for this weekend’s slate of games, while Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Flynn played and went for 73 points at The CrawsOver earlier this year.
Malachi Flynn just dropped 73PTS at the Crawsover Pro-Am
pic.twitter.com/l5sH8O0Vw5
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 16, 2022
It’s really cool to see the top-2 picks in the last draft give back to an area in which they have such close ties — Banchero is from Seattle originally while Holmgren played his college ball on the other side of the state at Gonzaga. The pair were slated to play against one another earlier this month at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but that fell through when the Magic opted to shut down Banchero prior to the game.