After Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray called for his NBA brethren to come out and play for free for fans he got a fantastic response. The lineup at the Crawsover pro-am was simply star-studded, with some NBA royalty turning out to play.
The lineup consisted of Murray, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Aaron Gordon, and Isaiah Thomas were the established NBA stars. Joining them from this year’s NBA draft were Chet Holmgren, Tari Eason, MarJon Beauchamp, and the No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero.
This looked like round two of the Murray/Banchero beef after the Hawks star made the No. 1 pick look silly in their previous meeting. However, what happened warms the soul, Murray showed the level of sportsmanship that tempers his hard-nosed competitiveness and squashed the beef between the two players in the first period of play.
Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray was not injured as the pro-am was called off.
The pro-am was called off in the second period after Beauchamp slipped while attempting an open layup. Unfortunately, this meant that the professionals deemed the court not safe and decided not to risk their season playing on a court with condensation on it.
The Crawsover game was called off in the 2nd quarter due to condensation on the court. pic.twitter.com/Zgab8occbK
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 21, 2022
It was unfortunate for the fans who had turned out for the game but all in all, it was certainly the right call to make. Teams allow their players to play in these games but if there was a serious injury due to the court being safe then it could spell the end of the Pro-Am having top NBA players involved.
Fortunately for all involved, there were no serious injuries. It could have been a disaster for the Hawks if their biggest acquisition of the offseason who is expected to move them back up into contender status was hurt in a game that does not benefit the Hawks in any way.
Fortunately, wise heads prevailed and the game was called off which is a pity for the fans.