Jamal Crawford and Derrick Rose are among the most fun to watch players that have played in the NBA since the turn of the century. Rose is a former MVP and Crawford was one of the game’s greatest sixth men, with both players filling highlight reels with their incredible skill moves and excellent scoring ability.
However, there is one thing that connects the two of them, both have a stated preference for using BlackBerry phones, which used to be all the rage nearly a decade ago. Technology has since moved on, with Androids and iPhones taking over the market, rendering BlackBerries mostly obsolete.
On Wednesday, the iconic phone company announced that they would no longer be able to guarantee reliable service on their handsets. They first announced that they were shutting down their operation in 2020 and it has now finally come to pass, creating an issue for a number of people that used the phone for their work.
Jamal Crawford, who had explained his affinity for the device despite other options being available, immediately tweeted about the issue, referencing the fact that he is out of the league already and now has to let go of his beloved BlackBerry as well.
Dang. They forcing me out the NBA, AND off my blackberry. 🥲😂🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/DJ2fCAVv8j
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) January 4, 2022
Basketball page NBA Buzz on Instagram were also quick to point out that this news marked a difficult moment for Crawford as well as Rose, sharing videos of the duo talking about their BlackBerries during interviews in the past.
Crawford, who is 41 now, has been out of the league since he played one game for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019-20 season. He hasn’t received a contract from any NBA teams since, and even though he might have been joking, the possibility of him briefly making a return cannot be written off considering the wave of Covid-19 cases across the league.
Rose enjoyed something of a resurgence on the New York Knicks under Tom Thibodeau last season as they made it to the playoffs holding the 4th seed in the East. This season has been a struggle and Rose hasn’t played for the Knicks in their last 8 games. It remains to be seen how the rest of the year will play out for him.
