Jae Crowder wasn’t just some throw in as part of the Kyrie Irving/Isaiah Thomas trade — he’s the kind of wing defender and shooter that the Cavaliers need (and need more of) to go against the Golden State Warriors.
But he wasn’t the focus of the trade, and his story about getting moved didn’t come out until he was introduced to the media Thursday — his mother, Helen Thompson, has been battling cancer, and passed away minutes after he told her of the trade, Crowder said at his press conference.
“There was a lot going on that day, obviously. The good thing about the whole ordeal was I was able to whisper it to my mom before she passed. I was with her. I just told her, ‘We’re going to Cleveland.’ Five minutes later, she passed.”
Jae Crowder talks about telling his mom about his trade to the #Cavs five minutes before she passed away... pic.twitter.com/UVfZ7dISaz
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) September 7, 2017
"She knew exactly what I wanted to do."@CJC9BOSS opened up w/ @FSOAllieOop about playing toward his ultimate goal: https://t.co/epzinRE0Rz https://t.co/PYAXKg0LG1
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) September 7, 2017
He talked about how basketball — and the opportunity with the Cavaliers — has given him something to focus on during this emotional and difficult time.
Our thoughts are with Crowder and his family.