Feb. 3, 2009
Lexington, Ky. – Former Kentucky men’s basketball player Joe Crawford of the Los Angeles D-Fenders has been named NBA D-League Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Jan. 27, 2009. Crawford is the first Los Angeles player to earn the honor this season.
The former Wildcat averaged 26.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in three games for the D-Fenders. He led Los Angeles to a 2-1 record, including two wins over the first-place Idaho Stampede.
Crawford was a 2008 second-team All-SEC selection leading the team and ranking fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.9 ppg. He also hit a team high 63 three-pointers. He finished his career ranked 19th on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list with 1,438 points.
The 6-5 rookie guard was the 58th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Draft. He ranks fourth in the NBA D-League with 21.3 points per game.Other top performers last week included Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who averaged 24.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in his first two games for Austin; Josh Davis, who averaged 27.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in two games for the 14ers; former Wildcat Erik Daniels, who averaged 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds in four games for the BayHawks; Othyus Jeffers, who led Iowa to a 2-1 record, averaging 24.0 points and 9.3 rebounds; Dontell Jefferson, who averaged 25.3 points and 6.6 assists in three games for Utah.
The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams. The league has produced 15 percent of the players on 2007-08 end-of-season NBA rosters and continues to develop current NBA coaches and referees. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote youth basketball, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout this season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.
